Beleaguered Banki BJD MlA Pravat Tripathy, who is now cooling his heels behind the bars after he was arrested by the CBI on October 31, would be spending the New Year in jail as his bail application in the Odisha High Court was not taken up on Wednesday although it was listed for hearing on the day in the court of Justice Shatrughna Pujahari.
Sources said Tripathy, who has been suspended from the BJD soon after the arrest, would only hope for some relief when the High Court reopens after the Xmas holidays. He was arrested by the CBI for his alleged links with chit fund company Artha Tatwa and its CMD Pradeep Sethy.On the other hand, the arrested local news channel owner Manoj Das on the day withdrew his bail application from the High Court. Das was also arrested by the CBI in September for the same offence. lawyers say Das withdrew his application to approach a lower court for bail again as the CBI has in the meantime submitted a preliminary chargesheet against him.