Raghunath Mohanty back in BJD, made its VP

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik has reappointed Raghunath Mohanty, a former minister who was arrested in connection with a torture for dowry case, as the party's vice-president, a BJD release said.

Mohanty was also appointed the party observer for Dhenakanal district yesterday, the release said.

He had been arrested in 2013 after his daughter-in-law, Barsha Swony Choudhury filed complaints with the police alleging she was tortured for dowry by him. Mohanty and his wife Pritilata were arrested from Kolkata by crime branch of Odisha Police and later walked out of jail on bail.


His family got embroiled in a bitter battle in the court which ended when Mohanty's son and his daughter-in-law ended their dispute and accepted each other though a compromise deal.

Mohanty had to resign from the ministry following his arrest and he was suspended from the primary membership of the BJD. He was denied the party ticket in the 2014 assembly polls though he had represented Basta assembly seat for five consecutive terms since 1990.

His suspension from the party was revoked in June last year and Mohanty had spoken of returning to the BJD fold after meeting Patnaik.