Bhubaneswar, July 6: Police today decided to serve a notice to the father of a minor girl, who had lodged allegations of sexual harassment against comedian Tatwa Prakash Satpathy aka Pappu Pom Pom.

The development came a day after the victim's father claimed that the girl, who had recorded her statement in court, was not his daughter.

"We have already recorded statements of the victim and her mother. We have also decided to record her father's statement. We visited their house today, but her father was not there. We would shortly serve a notice to him to depose before the cops," said a senior police officer.

The victim of the mother also told that the family did not want to drag the case further. "We had settled the matter amicably in 2014 and do not want to drag the case further. On Monday, the victim's father also submitted an affidavit at Khurda District and Sessions Court, seeking withdrawal of the case, saying that the matter had been settled amicably between both the parties.

On June 30, the police arrested the actor, along with his associate Pradipta Kumar Swain, from Puri. The hearing of the actor's bail plea would be held on July 11.

On the other hand, the Child Welfare Committee today said they will take the custody of the minor if necessary. "The victim had recorded her statement with us, based on which we lodged the complaint. So, the claim made by the victim's father that the girl was not his daughter is absolutely false," said committee member Niruapama Rath.

Petition on law

Seashore Securities Limited managing director Prashanta Kumar Dash filed a petition in Orissa High Court, challenging the validity of the Odisha Protection of Interests of Depositors (in Financial Establishments) Act, 2011.

The Odisha government enacted the act after the deposit collection scam broke in 2011. The act, which was made into a law in 2013, has the provision of selling the properties of Ponzi firms for repaying the cheated depositors.

Dash filed the petition seeking striking down of the act and quashing the Odisha Protection of Investors Interest Rules - 2013 as it is "oppressive" in nature.

The petition has alleged that the act is "draconian in character" as it empowers the state government to attach and confiscate the properties of the sham deposit collection companies without giving opportunity of hearing.

Dash is one of the prime accused in the multi-crore Ponzi scam.

He has been jail since the CID-crime branch arrested him from Mumbai on June 20, 2013. The CBI had since taken over investigation under a Supreme Court order. It had filed a charge sheet at the special CBI court on March 8, 2015, accusing the Seashore Group of Companies of swindling Rs 578.20 crore.