BHUBANESWAR, July 28: Advocate General Indrajit Ray yesterday said the allegation against him by Anjana Misra is ``absolutely false and a blatant piece of lie.''

Ray, who returned here from London on Sunday evening, told media persons that it was a deep-seated conspiracy primarily to defame the Orissa Government where he was made an instrument.

He categorically denied that he had invited Anjana Misra over for lunch at his official residence on July 11 to discuss her case. Ray said that in fact, Anjana had telephoned him around 2 pm on July 11 and wanted to see him to discuss the case against her husband.

According to the Advocate General, Anjana reached his official residence at Cuttack around 3.30 pm that day along with a lady and a gentleman. Ray was working in his office when the peon informed him about her arrival with two others. Ray then asked the peon to call Anjana into his office.

During the discussion Anjana told him that she was facing a lot of trouble at Basundhara, the short stay home, and that he should impress upon her father to take her away from Basundhara. Ray then asked for her father's telephone number and called up to say that he should meet Ray the next day at Bhubaneswar.

Ray assured Anjana that he would persuade her father to take her away and saw her off.

He said that Anjana visited his residence, there was a peon, a home guard and four carpenters present there.

``If I had misbehaved with her, nothing prevented her from immediately lodging a complaint at the Cantonment police station which is very close to my official residence at Cuttack,'' he pointed out. She even did not complain about the allegations made now to the lady and the gentleman who accompanied her.

He said that Anjana came back from the mental hospital a few days ago and, ``I have no doubt that meddlesome interlopers for the purpose of political vengeance and ulterior motives have played into her mind to make these false allegations.''

A composed Ray said that Anjana filed the FIR against him eight days after his absence and he was ``shocked'' to see the way the media ``condemned me and convicted me as if my guilt has been proved'' on the basis of ``a belated and one-sided story.''

``Truth will be unfolded very soon'', he asserted but regretted that the damage done to him was irreparable without his getting a chance to defend himself.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.