Kataka: The Orissa High Court on Tuesday granted interim protection from arrest to four accused in the Crime Branch investigation into the alleged textbook error case, directing them to cooperate fully with the ongoing probe while seeking the investigation records from the State Government.
A Single Bench of Justice V. Narasingh, hearing the anticipatory bail petitions together, ordered that Dilip Kumar Sahu, Pralipta Mishra, Bharati Tudu and Anupam Ghosh shall not be arrested until the next hearing of the matter, scheduled for August 3.
The court also directed the State Government to place the case diary and an updated status report on the investigation before it during the next hearing.
Sahu, Mishra and Tudu had served as Assistant Director and Coordinator in the Directorate of Teacher Education and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) under former Director Manoj Kumar Padhi. Ghosh is associated with a private publishing firm that has also come under the scanner in connection with the case.
The Crime Branch had arrested former SCERT Director Manoj Kumar Padhi around two weeks ago as part of its investigation into the alleged irregularities linked to textbook preparation and publication.
Meanwhile, anticipatory bail applications filed by several other individuals apprehending arrest in the same case are still pending before the High Court.
Advocate Kajal Sahu appeared on behalf of Dilip Kumar Sahu, Pralipta Mishra and Bharati Tudu, while Advocate Bidyaloka Mahapatra represented Anupam Ghosh during the hearing.
