Bhubaneswar, April 28 -- A petition was filed in the Orissa High Court in Cuttack on Tuesday against senior lawyer and former Advocate General Ashok Parija over allegations of illegally encroaching on forest land in Odisha. The petition, filed by advocate Siba Shankar Mohanty, has brought serious claims of unauthorised occupation and construction on protected land.

According to the petitioner, the alleged encroachment took place in Saransh Mouza under Tamka tehsil in Jajpur district. The petitioner accused Parija of illegally occupying forest land and constructing a permanent structure (pucca house) on the site, without due permission from the authorities concerned.

The petition names several key government officials as respondents, inc...