Post News Network

Bhubaneswar, Dec 9: The designated CBI court Tuesday rejected the bail petitions of 16 chit fund accused, including Artha Tatwa Group CMD Pradip Sethy and suspended BJD MLA Pravat Tripathy. Judge Padma Lochan Satpathy posted the case for hearing January 12, next year.

The 16 accused included Mumbai-based model Preeti Bhatia, newspaper owners Madhu Mohanty and Bikash Swain and builder Sagar Ray. The accused were sent back to jail custody. CBI had arrested them during its probe into the multi-crore mega chit fund scam in Orissa.

The court, after fixing their next date of appearance for January 12 next year, sent them back to Jharpada jail here. Meanwhile, the CBI grilled deputy director of Orissa Renewable Energy Development Agency Ashok Choudhury for the second time Tuesday. Seashore signed an MoU with OREDA for installation of a solar plant at Titlagarh in 2012 and deposited `2.53 crore with the agency. However, the plant failed to take off.