Bhubaneswar, Dec. 16 -- In a significant development in the high-profile murder case of senior lawyer and BJP leader Pitabas Panda, the Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ)-III court in Berhampur on Tuesday rejected the bail application of prime accused Bikram Panda, a former BJD legislator.

According to sources, the court also dismissed the bail pleas of four other accused in the case. The court's order came amid intense legal proceedings surrounding Bikram Panda's arrest and custody.

Earlier, his advocates, K.K. Behera and Deepak Pattnaik, had moved the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court, challenging the legality of his arrest. The petition alleged that Bikram Panda was taken into custody without proper justificat...