Cuttack, Jun 1 (PTI) The Orissa High Court has granted bail to expelled BJD MLA Pradeep Panigrahi in three cases registered against him for alleged involvement in a job scam.

The Gopalpur MLA is in jail since February for allegedly collecting Rs 6 lakh, Rs 5 lakh, and Rs 3 lakh from three persons with assurances that he would facilitate in getting them jobs in an automobile manufacturing company.

The MLA was removed from the BJD following his arrest on December 3 for allegedly duping several job aspirants and collecting nearly Rs 50 lakh from them on the promise of giving them employment in a reputed company.

After his bail applications were rejected by the sessions court in March, Panigrahi had approached the High Court.

When the MLAs counsel submitted before the court that he was willing to deposit the amounts quoted by the job aspirants, Justice S K Sahoo allowed the bail applications of the MLA with conditions. "Let the petitioner be released on furnishing cash securities and bail bonds with solvent sureties," the court said.

The HC asked the MLA on Monday to furnish cash securities of Rs 6 lakh, Rs 3 lakh, and Rs 5 lakh, and a bail bond of Rs 2 lakh with two sureties.

The High Court said that on deposit of cash securities by the MLA, the SDJM of Berhampur shall handover the amounts to the job aspirants after obtaining undertakings from them that in case the prosecution fails to establish the charges against the MLA during the trial, they will return the amounts which will be refunded to the legislator.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)