Orissa High Court denies arrest protection to Bidyabharati Panda in ACF death case

Orissa High Court refused interim arrest protection to Bidyabharati Panda in her husband's death case. The decision leaves her exposed to custody while her anticipatory bail plea awaits hearing.Image used for representational purposes onlyCuttack,Oct 24, 2026 16:58 ISTThe Orissa High Court has refused to grant interim protection from arrest to Bidyabharati Panda, wife of late Assistant Conservator of Forests Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, in connection with his death, news agency Press Trust of India reported.Panda had sought interim relief while her anticipatory bail application was pending before the High Court. The court directed the investigating agency to submit the case diary and said her plea would be heard after the puja vacation.Mohapatra suffered burn injuries at his residence in Paralakhemundi in Odisha's Gajapati district on July 12, 2021, and died the next day.Acting on a complaint filed by Mohapatra's father, the Paralakhemundi Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate took cognisance of offences under Sections 302 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with murder and criminal conspiracy, respectively. During the puja vacation on Friday, a vacation bench of Justice Aditya Kumar Mohapatra declined to grant interim relief to Panda. The High Court is scheduled to resume regular sittings from Tuesday.The order leaves Panda without interim protection from arrest. She has been directed to appear before the Paralakhemundi court by October 30, PTI reported. On September 30, the High Court extended the deadline for her appearance from October 1. This came after the Supreme Court dismissed her special leave petition challenging the High Court's earlier refusal to interfere with the magistrate's order taking cognisance of the case. The Supreme Court, however, allowed her to seek anticipatory bail.The Crime Branch had initially investigated the case under Sections 285 and 304-A of the IPC. The magistrate later took cognisance of the more serious charges of murder and criminal conspiracy on the basis of the complaint filed by Mohapatra's father.Two other people are accused in the case. Sangram Keshari Behera, who was the Divisional Forest Officer of Paralakhemundi at the time, has surrendered before the court, while family cook Manmath Kumbha has been arrested.Senior advocate Umesh Prasad Rath had earlier said Panda had a limited window to seek further relief and that all three accused could face custody, depending on the orders of the competent courts. "She is an accused person, and nothing in the High Court's interim order is a finding on the merits of the case," Rath said, according to PTI.Panda's anticipatory bail plea will be considered after the High Court reopens, while she remains without interim protection and has been asked to appear before the Paralakhemundi court by October 30.- Ends