HC rejects bail plea in money laundering case, fines accused Rs 20,000 for concealing SC proceedings

Cuttack: Orissa high court imposed Rs 20,000 fine on an accused in a money laundering case linked to an alleged narcotics racket, while refusing to entertain his bail plea for suppressing the fact that he earlier unsuccessfully approached the Supreme Court for bail.However, the HC gave the accused liberty to approach for bail “afresh with clean hand” after depositing the fine.Justice Gourishankar Satapathy on Monday dismissed the bail application of Rajanikanta Pattnaik after noting that while he disclosed the rejection of his earlier bail plea by the high court on Feb 16, 2024, he did not mention that he subsequently filed a special leave petition (SLP) before Supreme Court, which was later dismissed as withdrawn.Invoking the legal maxim *"Suppressio veri, expressio falsi"* (suppression of truth is equivalent to expression of falsehood), the judge held that such concealment of a material fact disentitled the petitioner from seeking relief.“In view of the suppression of material facts regarding his approach to the Supreme Court and the result thereof, this court does not consider it proper to entertain the present bail application,” the court observed.

The high court directed Pattnaik to deposit Rs 20,000 with the Juvenile Justice Fund of Odisha State Legal Services Authority, Cuttack, within four weeks.Pattnaik is facing prosecution by Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a case arising from an alleged narcotics network.His earlier bail plea was rejected by the high court on Feb 16, 2024, when the court held that the ED gathered sufficient prima facie material indicating that his movable and immovable properties were “proceeds of crime” allegedly generated through illicit drug trafficking.The money laundering case stems from an Oct 2021 raid by Khallikote police in Ganjam district, during which investigators allegedly seized 34 kg of ganja, 10 kg of opium, Rs 75 lakh in cash, and gold and silver articles from Pattnaik's residence. The criminal allegations against him remain pending trial.