Cuttack: The Orissa high court has rejected the bail plea of BJD leader Dillip Kumar Nayak, who was arrested last year in connection with an alleged multi-crore cheating case. Justice Gourishankar Satapathy, while refusing bail on May 19, observed that the allegations against Nayak involved serious financial impropriety and that it would be “too early” to conclude that the case was civil in nature, particularly when witnesses in the case were yet to be examined.Nayak was arrested on Sept 20, 2025, following allegations that he had induced an investor to put money into a real estate business by promising attractive returns. According to the FIR, the investor was allegedly duped of Rs 12.42 crore. However, during investigation, the amount involved was pegged at Rs 15.03 crore in the charge-sheet filed by the economic offences wing of the state CID-crime branch.Justice Satapathy noted that settled legal principles make it clear that where an intention to deceive exists from the inception of a transaction, an accused cannot seek protection under the guise of a civil or contractual dispute.Rejecting the argument that filing of the charge-sheet constituted a fresh ground for bail, Justice Satapathy held that there had been no material change in circumstances since the earlier rejection of bail. The judge also took note of the “nature and gravity” of the accusations, the “enormity” of the alleged financial fraud and the materials collected during investigation.The BJD fielded Nayak against BJP’s Pravati Parida in the last election from the Nimapara assembly seat. Parida, who is currently the deputy chief minister of Odisha, had won by a margin of 4,588 votes.
