Orissa High Court Acquits Pratap Jena in Mahanga Double Murder Case

Cuttack: In a major relief for Pratap Jena, the Orissa High Court on Tuesday acquitted him in the Mahanga double murder case. The court set aside the lower court’s ruling, giving Jena a clean chit after he appealed against the decision of the Salepur Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC).

Jena, who was named as accused number 13, had initially been omitted from the charge sheet. However, following a directive from the JMFC court, the police conducted a reinvestigation and included his name in the case. Jena challenged the court’s cognizance of the charges and moved to the High Court, seeking the dismissal of the JMFC’s order.

The High Court quashed all criminal proceedings against Jena. His lawyer, Anshuman Ray, confirmed that the charges were fully cleared.

The case pertains to the January 2, 2021, murders of BJP leader Kulamani Baral (74), former block chairman of Mahanga, and his associate Dibyasingha Baral (82). They were killed near Jankoti village in Cuttack while returning home on a motorbike. Later, the prime accused, Prafulla Biswal, was found dead under mysterious circumstances. The family of the deceased had alleged that Jena was behind the killings.