Cuttack: The 3rd Additional Sessions Court in Cuttack on Monday rejected the bail applications of two accused—Jitan Maharana, a data entry operator, and Prashant Kumar Khamari—in connection with the Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) question paper leak case.
Both accused had earlier moved the Sessions Court after their bail pleas were dismissed by the Cuttack JMFC-3 (Cognizance Taking) Court. Following the transfer of the case, the 3rd Additional Sessions Court conducted hearings, during which the Crime Branch submitted the case diary and apprised the court of the ongoing investigation. After considering arguments from both sides, the court denied bail to Jitan and Prashant.
The development comes after the same court last week rejected bail applications filed by four other accused—Bijay Kumar Mishra, Jayant Kumar Raut, Sanatan Bishoyi, and Ramji Prasad Gupta. With this, bail pleas of six accused have now been dismissed.
Meanwhile, the bail application of Dr. Nihar Ranjan Mohanty, Vice-President of the Board of Secondary Education, has been listed for hearing on August 26.
The Crime Branch is continuing its investigation into the high-profile question paper leak case, which has sparked widespread concern over examination integrity in Odisha.
