Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda was produced before the SDJM Court here on Thursday amid tight security. He was produced at the court by the police in connection with three cases. The court fixed September 3 as the next date of hearing.
Of the three cases in which Panda will be tried, one is in connection with a sarpanch who was arrested by the Baidyanathpur police for allegedly carrying a message on behalf of Maoists, particularly Panda. There is another case in connection with Panda's arrest on July 17 from a rented house in Brahmapur while the third is in connection with three persons who were nabbed from Gosani Nuagaon on the outskirts of Brahmapur in 2001 while they were moving suspiciously.
In the Gosani Nuagaon case, charges have been framed and the court has fixed September 3 as the next date of hearing, sources said. The sources said the court also took up a prayer of Panda for permission to take to writing during his stay in the jail. Panda's lawyer Deepak Pattnaik argued that since his client desires to return to the mainstream of the society, he be permitted to write articles and books while he is in the jail. The court while admitting the prayer allowed time to the prosecution to file its counter within September 3 in the matter.