The Special Vigilance Court, Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday granted bail to Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Abhay Kant Pathak and his son Akash Pathak in a graft case. The court granted the default bail under Section 167 of CrPC Clause II after police failed to submit chargesheet against the accused in 60 days. The court directed the duo to furnish a bail bond of Rs 2 lakh each and two guarantors.
The father-son duo was arrested on November 27 in the corruption case.“As the Vigilance failed to produce chargesheet in 60 days, Abhay Pathak and Akash Pathak were granted bail as per law,” said the Pathaks’ counsel Abhinav Chand. “We will now try to proceed further to quash the case. Two more cases have already been registered against them at the Kharavel Nagar police station and another with the Crime Branch,” he added.Abhay Pathak was arrested by the Vigilance on the charge of amassing assets worth Rs 9.35 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income. His son Akash is accused of defrauding people on the pretext of providing jobs. He was arrested after the Tata Motors and travel agency Sky King levelled fraud allegations against him.