Just hours before the Khordha District and Sessions Court at Bhubaneswar granted bail to arrested advocate Devashis Panda, the striking lawyers of the Orissa High Court here on Friday afternoon decided to call off their cease-work strike forthwith.
The High Court lawyers, who were boycotting courts since Wednesday in protest against the arrest of Panda by the CBI, have now decided to attend the courts from Monday, said a resolution passed by the general body of the HC Bar Association.
According to reports reaching here, the Bhubaneswar court granted bail to Panda, who was a former Additional Government Advocate, for a bail bond of Rs 50,000 each from two sureties. Panda was asked to present himself before the IO whenever required.
For his alleged involvement in the fraudulent activities of chit fund company Artha Tatwa Group, Panda, also a former counsel of Enforcement Directorate, had been arrested from Bhubaneswar by the CBI on Monday. The CBI Special Court at Bhubaneswar on Tuesday had refused to grant bail to Panda and allowed the prosecution to take him on remand for three days for custodial interrogation. Panda was produced before the special court on Friday after the end of his remand period.