Bhubaneswar, Sep 2 (IANS) The Sessions Court of Khurda, Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday dismissed a criminal revision petition filed against former Odisha chief minister and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik and his close aide and former bureaucrat VK Pandian over the alleged misappropriation or misutilisation of public funds.
Advocate and social worker Sudhir Charan Mohanty of Bhubaneswar had filed the revision challenging the SDJM, Bhubaneswar’s order dated March 25, 2026, which had dismissed his complaint against Patnaik and Pandian.
The complainant stated that he had lodged an FIR on August 14, 2024, at the Capital Police Station in Bhubaneswar. Mohanty alleged in his complaint that both Pandian and Patnaik had travelled to all the districts of Odisha, undertaking many helicopter trips without any sanction or payment from the government exchequer.
Citing information obtained through the RTI, he further alleged that the expenses were borne by mining owners, land mafias, real estate operators, non-Odia contractors and other sources of unaccounted money. The petitioner further claimed that the Inspector In-Charge of the Capital police station did not register the FIR till August 19, 2024.
Then, he reportedly submitted the written FIR before the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar and the same was received at his office. Mohanty further argued that despite receipt of the FIR at the Office of the DCP, Bhubaneswar, no FIR was registered against the Pandian and Patnaik.
Subsequently, Mohanty filed a 1 CC case under various sections of the IPC, which was later dismissed by the SDJM Court, Bhubaneswar. Following the dismissal of his complaint, he moved the higher court against the order of the SDJM Court.
Meanwhile, the judge of the Sessions Court of Khurda in Bhubaneswar did not find any illegality in the impugned order passed by the SDJM Court on March 25, 2026.
“Thus, in view of the aforesaid discussion, this Court is of the considered opinion that the complaint/petitioner neither made out any case under any of the penal sections referred to in the complaint petition with supported materials nor adhered to the mandatory compliance of Section 173(4) of BNSS, 2023 before presenting the complaint nor he had got any locus-standi to present the complaint in terms of Section 33 of BNSS, 2023,” observed Biranchi Narayan Mohanty, Sessions Judge, Khurda.
–IANS
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