The Orissa High Court on Friday rejected the anticipatory bail application of suspended Assistant Director of Factories and Boilers Dr Motilal Gouda, who is now absconding after his name surfaced in a health checkup scam arising out of a fake gazette notification. With this, the earlier interim relief granted to him by the High Court was removed.
Taking up his advance bail petition, the court had earlier this month granted an interim protection to Gouda retraining police from arresting him till June 24. However, when the petition came up for hearing on the day, Justice JP Das rejected it after the Crime Branch police vehemently opposed it. The Crime Branch is investigating the case.
Gouda, believed to have strong links with ruling BJD politicians, is suspected to be the mastermind behind the issuance of the recent fake gazette notification in which the corporate houses and private companies in the State were asked to get their employees’ health checked up in certain selected pathological laboratories.
It is alleged that Gouda received huge kickbacks from these empanelled laboratories.