Cuttack, Aug. 11: Lawyers across the state left litigants in the lurch, as they continued their cease work for the second day demanding the arrest of former Kendrapada police superintendent Satish Gajbhiye.
The government had shifted Gajbhiye to the police headquarters here, making him an officer without duty, following allegations of excessive police force against agitators demanding the arrest of self-styled guru Srimad Sarathi baba on August 7.
High Court Bar Association secretary B.K. Ragada said: "We will continue our cease work till Friday, as the government has neither ordered Gajbhiye's arrest nor a judicial inquiry into the matter."
A former office-bearer of the Kendrapada Bar Association was allegedly asked to do sit-ups in front of Gajbhiye.
Orissa High Court could not proceed with the election petitions challenging the election of MLA Naba Das and MLA Yogesh Kumar Singh, both of the Congress, and Parsuram Dhada of the BJD.
Due to the cease work, the court has also not been able to proceed with the dispute over the legality of fire department's bid to make adherence to National Building Code of India guidelines mandatory for cinema owners for getting fire clearance. Owners of nine cinemas here, and those in Bhubaneswar and Puri, had filed the petition seeking intervention against the move. Enforcement of code instead of the fire safety measures of the Odisha Cinema Act, 1964, for renewing licences will have serious financial implications for the cinemas that are already facing fund crunch.
Besides, around 700 cases listed before various benches of the court for hearing could not be taken up today. Over 50 bail pleas, including anticipatory bail applications, also faced the same fate.
Lawyers also did not attend work in all the lower courts in the state.
In a related development, the crime branch officials have picked up 13 persons from Kendrapara including the personal attendants of Sarathi baba. All these people were made to sit across the accused individually and interrogated.
"We are satisfied with the outcome of the first phase of interrogation and we will seek an extension of the baba's remand after he is produced before the court tomorrow," said additional director-general (crime branch) B.K. Sharma.
A senior cop said irregularities were found in the purchase of a residential duplex at Patia, which was valued over a crore. The sale deed showed that Sarathi baba had bought it for Rs 55 lakh. However, he had earlier paid Rs 75 lakh in cheque for the same property.
"It is difficult to understand how the entire sale deed was suddenly undervalued," said Sharma.
The crime branch is examining various land-related transactions with the assistance of senior revenue officials from today. The Kendrapara sub-registrar has been approached for more details about the land and plots belonging to Sarathi.
So far, the crime branch has sealed Rs 2.20 crore from 19 bank accounts that are in the name of Srimad Sarathi, his close associates, and the Satyam Charitable Trust. Sources said more people were to be quizzed for their involvement in various land deals with Sarathi.
