The Orissa High Court has directed the trial court to release the passport of Bengali film producer Shrikant Mohta, who is an accused in multi-crore Rose Valley chit fund scam, to enable him to travel to Thailand for the purpose of film production. Mohta was granted bail by the Supreme Court in 2021 on health grounds.
Justice Radha Krishna Pattanaik said since Mohta is a known figure in the entertainment industry based at Kolkata, there is a remote chance of his absconding and staying away from the limits of the trial court.
The bench also noted that investigation has been concluded and there is no material placed on record to show that he had ever misutilised the liberty granted after release on bail.
The passport should be released in his favour with a permission granted to him to leave Kolkata for the stated purpose by imposing necessary conditions, said the court.
Asking Mohta to…
