Petroleum Minister s brother gets bail in gas black marketing case

Bhubaneswar May 23 (IANS) The Orissa High Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Soumendra Pradhan elder brother of Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in a vigilance case related to alleged black marketing and adulteration of cooking gas.

Soumendra s counsel Dharanidhar Nayak said the court has asked the accused to cooperate with the vigilance department during the course of investigation in the case involving the gas agency owned by him.

A day after the vigilance department registered a case against Soumendra and three of his employees he moved the high court seeking anticipatory bail on January 16.

The anti-corruption agency had raided Pradhan Gas Service in Talcher on January 14 following complaints of black marketing and refilling of cooking gas by the agency.

--IANS
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