Cuttack: A PIL seeking intervention against Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (OERC) chairman’s continuance as president of Bhubaneswar Club was withdrawn and accordingly, the Orissa high court disposed of the petition on Thursday.Subrat Kumar Tripathy, a resident of Bhubaneswar, filed the petition on Oct 24, 2025, alleging conflict of interest and statutory violations. The court recorded the memo of withdrawal submitted by the petitioner’s counsel and permitted withdrawal of the petition.In the order, the division bench, comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice M S Raman, said, “Mr Ramdas Achary, counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner, after making substantial arguments, seeks leave of this court to withdraw the instant writ petition. A memo to that effect filed in the court is taken on record. Leave is granted. Accordingly, the instant writ petition is disposed of as withdrawn.”Pradip Kumar Jena, a 1989 batch IAS officer and former chief secretary, had assumed office as OERC’s chairman on April 8, 2025. He was elected president of Bhubaneswar Club on Sept 21, 2025.The petition contended that while serving as the chairman of OERC, a quasi-judicial body under the Electricity Act, 2003, and the Orissa State Electricity Reform Act, 1995, Jena contested and was elected president of Bhubaneswar Club, whose membership includes several corporate and industrial entities regulated by the OERC. This dual role violates statutory provisions relating to conflict of interest, the petitioner counsel had argued before seeking permission to withdraw the petition.
