Bhubaneswar: The Court of the Khurda Additional District Judge-II court has reserved its verdict on BJP’s Khurda MLA candidate Prashant Jagdev’s bail petition in the electronic voting machine (EVM) toppling case.
Pleading Jagdev’s case in the court on Friday, his lawyer Pitambar Acharya said, “My client and a 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.” Pitambar Acharya further told the court, “Prashant Jagdev was made to sit on the floor at the police station and was also refused water. Around 12.30, 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.
It is worth mentioning here that 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 under Bengunia Assembly constituency while the voting process was underway.
