Former advocate-general Asok Mohanty at the CBI office in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 13: Officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today questioned Asok Mohanty, who stepped down from the advocate-general’s office yesterday, for having purchased a house from sham deposit collection company Artha Tatwa’s chairman-cum-managing director Pradip Sethy.

Mohanty had purchased the double-storey building on a 4,000-sqft plot in the Cuttack Development Authority area for Rs 1.01 crore. Sethy sold the plot to Mohanty in October 2012.

The development authority transferred the property in the name of Mohanty on March 22, 2013.

Mohanty, who became the advocate-general on June 10, 2009, had tendered his resignation on May 17 after the new BJD government was sworn into office. Yesterday, the government accepted his resignation.

The former advocate-general spent an hour-and-a-half at the CBI office today. While leaving the premises, he said: “I did not get the building as a gift or a favour. The transaction was made through cheques. I paid Pradeep Sethy Rs 1.01 crore from my SBI bank account through cheques. Everything is documented. I have handed over all the papers to the central agency.”

“I don’t have any idea about who Pradeep Sethy is. I wanted to buy a house. I was informed that Sethy wanted to sell the house. The deal was struck after verification of all land records. Even the development authority raised no objections to the deal. It was a deal between a seller and a buyer,” he said.

However, the former advocate-general lost his cool when reporters bombarded him with questions. “I do have a lot of respect for the freedom of press. But, you must respect one’s privacy,” he said.

Today, the CBI also questioned Biswaranjan aka Bapi Khatai, secretary of the BJD’s youth wing, for his alleged link with the group.

Earlier, the CBI had questioned BJD MLA Pranab Balabantaray and arrested Ranjan Das, an activist of the ruling party. It had also raided the residence of BJD MLA Pravat Tripathy.

Among others, who were questioned today, were two officials of a leading news channel — who had received money from the group for advertisement.

Asok Mohanty stepped down after the state government accepted his resignation yesterday.

'I had tendered my resignation on May 17. It was accepted today,' the former advocate-general had told The Telegaph but had refused to speculate on why the government took nearly four months to accept his resignation.

Mohanty had assumed office of the advocate-general on June 10, 2009.

Ever since the CBI took over the case with the AT group in the focus, there has been intense speculation about Sethy’s links with BJD politicians.