ODISHA POLICE SEEK REPLY FROM CBI OVER ‘TRESPASSING’

Three days after a group of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials were found to be attempting to enter the official residence of a sitting judge of the Orissa high court, the police said they were waiting for a response from the central agency into the incident.

On Tuesday night, a team of CBI officials led by their inspector PK Mishra forcibly tried to enter justice Chitta Ranjan Dash’s home under the mistaken belief that it was still occupied by former chief justice of Orissa HC IM Quddusi.

Quddusi, now retired and staying in Noida, was arrested by the agency a day later.

“Two days ago we asked the CBI officials to explain on what basis they entered the house at night violating all standard operating procedures. The nameplate of justice CR Dash was prominently displayed outside. The CBI officials should have been aware that once Quddusi had left Odisha 7 years ago and a new judge was staying. This is inexplicable...” said a senior Odisha police official.

The Cuttack Commissionerate police have lodged a case against the CBI under sections 120(B), 353, 511 and 34 of the IPC.

On the other hand, the Orissa HC on Saturday served a notice to the union home secretary, Director of the CBI, Odisha’s home secretary, Odisha DGP and the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack police commissioner after the HC bar association filed a PIL demanding a judicial probe into the incident. They did not show any search warrant or identity to the security guard till a police patrol van on duty arrived at the spot sources said.

CBI in a press statement said, “A CBI team with independent witnesses visited the former residence of the retired Orissa HC judge in Cuttack in a case related to a private medical college... The CBI immediately left the location and informed the local police of the development.”

BHUBANESWAR: