Pravat asked to appear before CBI whenever required
The beleaguered senior BJD leader and Banki MlA Pravat Tripathy got a breather from the Odisha High Court on Tuesday when the court asked the CBI to refrain from arresting him till October 13, the day on which his anticipatory bail application would come up for further hearing.
Justice Debapriya Dash, who had reserved the verdict on Tripathy’s petition on Monday, gave the interim protection to him on Tuesday as the court went for puja vacation from the day to till October 12.
Tripathy had approached the court seeking advance bail after his houses were raided and he was questioned by the CBI in connection with his alleged link with chit fund company Arthatatwa Group CMD Pradeep Sethy.
The HC also asked the CBI to produce the report from the Hyderabad-based Central Forensic Science laboratory (SFCl), where the CBI had sent an audio CD purportedly containing a telephonic conversation between Tripathy and Sethy to verify its authentication.
At the same time, the High Court has also asked the MlA to make himself available before the CBI whenever required and not to go out of the State without prior intimation to the investigating officer. Tripathy has also been instructed to submit his passport to the CBI by Wednesday.