https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Supreme Court Grants Interim Bail to Odisha Cadre IAS Officer Manish Agarwal in PA Suicide Case – Know the Case Here

Mr Agarwal had sought interim protection, fearing arrest if he appeared before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court in Malkangiri, which had earlier rejected his plea for exemption from appearance.
Indian Masterminds Stories

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to senior IAS officer Manish Agarwal in connection with a five-year-old abetment of suicide case involving his personal assistant during his tenure as Malkangiri district collector in Odisha.

Mr Agarwal, currently serving as Additional Secretary in the Planning and Convergence Department of the Odisha government, had approached the apex court after the Orissa High Court rejected his anticipatory bail petition on April 25.

Read Also: Orissa High Court Stays NBW Against IAS Officer Manish Agarwal

SC Issues Notice, Interim Bail Granted
A division bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta granted relief after a preliminary hearing, issuing a notice returnable by July 22.

“Meanwhile, the petitioner may surrender before the trial court and furnish bail bonds to its satisfaction upon which he shall be released on interim bail,” the bench directed.

Mr Agarwal had sought interim protection, fearing arrest if he appeared before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court in Malkangiri, which had earlier rejected his plea for exemption from appearance.

High Court Had Denied Bail
The Orissa High Court, in rejecting Agarwal’s anticipatory bail, had observed that there was no merit in granting such an “exceptional remedy”, citing the Supreme Court’s own words:

“Just as liberty is precious for an individual, so is the interest of the society in maintaining law and order.”

The Case Background
Agarwal’s personal assistant Deba Narayan Panda went missing on December 27, 2019, and his body was recovered the next day from the Satiguda Dam. Initially treated as a case of suicide, the matter escalated when Panda’s wife accused the then-collector of murder.

The police first registered the case under Sections 302 (murder), 506 (criminal intimidation), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), and 204 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The SDJM court took cognisance of these charges.

However, in a major relief to Agarwal, the Orissa High Court on June 26, 2023, ruled that there was no prima facie evidence to sustain the murder charges and directed the trial court to proceed under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) instead.

Read Also: Court Issues Non-Bailable Warrant Against IAS Officer Manish Agarwal in PA’s Death Case

Supreme Court Earlier Refused to Intervene
Agarwal later challenged the High Court’s direction in the Supreme Court, but the apex court in November 2024 declined to interfere with the HC’s ruling.

The High Court had also asked the trial court to expedite the proceedings, preferably within eight months.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
BSNL
BSNL Launches India’s First 100% Indigenous 5G Fixed Wireless Access Service in Hyderabad - Details Inside
Indian Oil IOCL
Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) Appoints IFS Officer Esha Srivastava as Govt Nominee Director, Effective June 20 - Know More About Her
ONGC_resized
ONGC Approves USD 412 Million Corporate Guarantee to Support Overseas Fundraising by Subsidiary OOIL
Indian Bureaucracy News Latest
IFS S Senthil Kumar Assigned Additional Charge as DDGF(C) Bhopal; IRS Brindha Boopathy Appointed Deputy Secretary in DGTR
CM Vishnu Deo Sai - resized
Naxalism Will Be Eradicated by March 2026: Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai
ONGC_resized
Latest on Gas Leak: Assam CM Confirms ONGC–US Collaboration for Critical Oilfield Capping - Full Details Inside
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-20 at 8.42
Bihar Empowers Women Through Mahila Samvad: Over 1 Lakh Suggestions to Shape Inclusive Governance
CM Vishnu Deo Sai - resized
Chhattisgarh: CM Vishnu Deo Sai Interacts with Bastar Youth, Pledges a New Era of Peace and Development - Know More
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s 27-Year Odyssey with Indian Railways | Exclusive Interview
Monika Singh
The Civil Servant Who Finds Peace in Poetry
Monika Singh
Monika Singh’s Life Beyond the Bureaucracy | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Ravinder Nandal IDES
IDES Ravinder Nandal's Story of Self-Made Success
Balancing fatherhood, full-time jobs, and six UPSC attempts, Ravinder Nandal’s story is one of perseverance,...
Shailendra Choudhary UPSC
Daily Routine, Optional, Essays & More | Shailendra Choudhary Breaks It Down
Shailendra Choudhary, AIR 362 in UPSC 2024, shares how focused preparation, self-made strategies, and...
Social Media
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
BSNL
BSNL Launches India’s First 100% Indigenous 5G Fixed Wireless Access Service in Hyderabad - Details Inside
Indian Oil IOCL
Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) Appoints IFS Officer Esha Srivastava as Govt Nominee Director, Effective June 20 - Know More About Her
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi
Monika Singh
Monika Singh
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT