Cuttack: In a major development in the 2016 CDA cash seizure case, the Orissa High Court has granted bail to notorious gangster brothers Sushant and Sushil Dhalasamant.
The bench, headed by Justice Gaurishankar Satapathy, directed the trial court to release them on bail upon furnishing two sureties of ₹50,000 each.
Despite securing bail, the duo will not walk free immediately, as they remain incarcerated in connection with several other criminal cases.
The brothers have been lodged in jail since April 8, 2016, after police seized ₹2,67,64,740 from their CDA residence on January 30, 2016. Investigations also revealed that eight ₹1000 notes and four ₹500 notes among the seized currency were counterfeit.
During the hearing, it was pointed out that although the chargesheet named 20 witnesses, only eight have been examined so far, leaving the trial incomplete even after more than nine years. The prolonged detention became a key factor in the court’s decision.
Sushant has been convicted in four cases and Sushil in two by the lower court, but none of the sentences exceed seven years. Their earlier bail pleas had been rejected both by the High Court and the trial court.
Represented by advocate Chandan Samantaray, they approached the High Court again after failing to secure bail from the lower court.
The case was originally registered at Chauliaganj police station following the 2016 raid.
