No CB update, Orissa High Court stuck over activist’s death case

CUTTACK: Adjudication on the petition seeking CBI probe into the death of Aditya Dash could not proceed in the Orissa High Court for the second time within a week on Wednesday due to non-submission of an up to date status report on investigation by the CID-Crime Branch.

The 27-year-old social worker’s father Nandi Kishore Dash (56), mother Padmalaya Dash (50) and wife Bidyashree Sishu (26) had filed the petition alleging that the investigation is being undertaken in a partisan and motivated manner.

Aditya’s body was found along the railway track near Lingaraj Passenger halt in Bhubaneswar on July 7. The cause of his death has since continued to be a mystery. 

When the petition was taken up on Wednesday, the State counsel sought more time taking the plea that up to date status on the probe by the CID-Crime Branch was not available as the Investigating Officer (IO) was tested Covid-19 positive. 

The State counsel, however, informed the court that available information on the status of investigation did not throw up any possibility of Aditya’s death to be a case of murder.

Taking note of it, the single judge bench of Justice Biswajit Mohanty fixed November 26 as the next 
date for hearing and directed the State counsel to apprise the court on the up to date status of investigation into Aditya’s death by that day.