Berhampur, Jan 7 (PTI) BJP MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy was acquitted in two cases of cheating by a special court in Odisha's Ganjam district on Tuesday.

The court also acquitted former IFS officer Abhay Pathak and his son Akash Pathak who were the co-accused in one of the two cases against Panigrahy.

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The judge of the special MP/MLA court acquitted them due to the lack of evidence, said the MP's counsel Deepak Patnaik.

One of the cases was registered against Panigrahy, Pathak and his son in Baidyanathpur police station in 2021 after a man filed a complaint, alleging that he had given Rs 6 lakh to the then Gopalpur MLA for a job for his son in an automobile company, the lawyer said.

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The other case was registered at the Golanthara police station after a man lodged a complaint, alleging he had given Rs 5 lakh to Panigrahy for a job for his brother in 2021, he said.

Patnaik said the hearing of another three cheating cases registered against the MP at the Golanthara police station is pending.

Panigrahy, a former state minister, was arrested by the Crime Branch on December 3, 2020, for his alleged involvement in a job scam. He was expelled from the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD for alleged "anti-people" activities.

He joined the BJP ahead of the 2024 elections and got elected from the Berhampur Lok Sabha seat.

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