Khurda Court Reserves Verdict On Chilika MLA Prashant Jagdev’s Bail Plea in EVM Toppling Case

Bhubaneswar: The Court of the Khurda Additional District Judge-II court on Friday reserved its verdict on Chilika MLA Prashant Jagdev’s bail petition in the EVM toppling case. Jagdev is the BJP’s candidate from the Khurda assembly constituency.

Pitambar Acharya, the lawyer appearing for Jagdev, said in the court that the sitting MLA is innocent. “Police arrested him like a criminal without even an FIR as there was no evidence against him at the time of his arrest. The case was registered later by pressurising the presiding officer,” said Acharya.

Acharya told the court, “They woke up the magistrate and forwarded him to court instead of granting bail at the police station as per the Supreme Court order and CrPC provision in case of an offence of fewer than 7 years of the sentence.”

The Court of the Khurda ADJ-II, however, reserved its order in the case till further hearing.

Jagdev was arrested on May 26 for allegedly toppling an EVM and manhandling two polling personnel in booth no 114 of Kaunripatana under Bolagarh block while the voting process was continuing.