Latest news with #OrissaHighCourt
New Indian Express
7 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
SC grants interim bail to IAS officer Manish Agarwal in PA suicide case
CUTTACK: Senior IAS Officer Manish Agarwal was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on Tuesday in connection with the case on abetment of suicide of his personal assistant (PA) when he was Malkangiri collector five years ago. Agarwal had moved the Supreme Court after the Orissa High Court rejected his anticipatory bail petition on April 25. While issuing notice returnable on July 22 to the state government, the apex court's division bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Dipankar Datta said, '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,' Agarwal, who is presently additional secretary, Planning and Convergence department had sought interim protection after the sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM) court, Malkangiri, rejected his plea seeking exemption from appearance during the trial. He had filed an anticipatory bail petition before the high court expressing apprehension that if he appears before the SDJM Court, he will be remanded in custody on the ground that offence under Section 306 of IPC (abetting suicide) is triable by the Court of Sessions.
New Indian Express
28-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Orissa HC grants one-month bail to rape accused to marry complainant
CUTTACK: When a relationship emerges from mutual familiarity between individuals close in age, and where there is no material to suggest abuse of position intimidation or exploitation, the prosecutorial lens must be realigned with compassion and realism, the Orissa High Court has opined, while granting one-month bail to an accused involved in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act (POCSO Act) in order to facilitate his marriage with the complainant. Hamid Sha (26), allegedly had physical relationship on promise of marriage with the complainant since 2019, when she was 16 years old. He had terminated her pregnancy in 2020 and 2022 while allegedly forcibly continuing sexual relation with her. A case was registered against him at the Niali police station on her complaint in 2023. Sha, who has since been in custody, had sought interim bail for six months. Advocate Kshirod Kumar Rout representing him submitted that following the intervention of certain local gentries and well-wishers of both the petitioner and the complainant, the matter has been amicably resolved between the parties.
New Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Odisha HC directs collector of Jajpur to stop mining in Balarampur PRF
CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Friday directed Jajpur collector to ensure mining operations are stopped at the six black stone quarries leased out inside Balarampur Protected Reserve Forest (PRF) under Dharmasala tehsil in the district. The vacation bench of Justices SK Sahoo and MS Sahoo also directed the collector to file a detailed affidavit on the action taken to stop the extraction of black stone at the quarries which were leased out by an auction notice on September 17, 2021. The bench issued the direction after collector P Anvesha Reddy made submissions regarding action taken on the letter of the divisional forest officer (DFO), Cuttack on September 20, 2024, requesting to cancel permits for mining from the six black stone quarries. The quarries were verified and found to be operating inside Balarampur Protected Reserve Forest in violation of Forest Conservation Act, 1980. Reddy, who was present in virtual mode on the court's order, claimed that after receiving the letter from the DFO, steps have been taken to stop mining at all the six quarries. The mining officer, Jajpur, had issued letters to the leaseholders to stop extraction on October 9, 2024. But, Reddy failed to give any definite reply as to whether mining operations at the six quarries had been stopped or were still continuing. The court was hearing a PIL alleging inaction against the quarry operations over 28 acres inside the PRF area in violation of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. Pitabas Dash and three other residents of nearby villages filed the petition. Appearing on the petitioners' behalf, senior advocate Subir Palit alleged that in spite of the DFO's communication to the collector, the quarrying operations are still continuing and resulting in extensive and massive pilferage of resources and government revenue on daily basis in addition to the damage to the environment and public health. The bench scheduled the matter for further consideration on June 24, directing the collector to file a detailed affidavit by then.
Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Indian Express
Orissa HC's bail condition for woman in cheating case: Clean bank branch every day for 2 months
The Orissa High Court has set an unusual bail condition for a woman accused in a cheating case – for two months, she must clean the premises of a bank. The suspect, Manogyan Patnaik, was arrested by the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch on February 5 under various sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code for a loan she had taken in 2018. According to court documents, the woman and her co-borrower had taken three loans of a total of Rs 1.05 crore from a Cuttack branch of ICICI Bank. For this, the suspects mortgaged three residential properties in Bhubaneswar. But before all three loans were foreclosed, the woman's co-borrower sold one of the mortgaged properties to a third person, who immediately filed a complaint with the bank. While granting her bail on May 13, the Orissa High Court set the woman three bail conditions, one of which was to clean the bank premises. The bail came on a petition that the woman had moved in court. 'The petitioner shall approach the ICICI Bank, Link Road Branch, Cuttack and clean the bank premises during the morning hours between 8:00 am to 10:00 am for a period of two months,' reads the court order passed by Justice S K Panigrahi. The order adds that the inspector-in-charge of the police station under which the branch falls would supervise the work. Meanwhile, the case is still pending before the Odisha Protection of Interests of Depositors (OPID) court in Cuttack.
New Indian Express
23-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Odisha HC orders woman to clean Cuttack bank premises for two months as bail condition in cheating case
CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has set cleaning the premises of a bank in Cuttack on all working days for two months as condition while granting bail to a woman accused in a cheating case involving forged property documents. The unusual order was passed by Justice SK Panigrahi on the bail petition of Manogyan Patnaik who has been in custody since February 5, 2025. 'The petitioner shall approach the ICICI Bank, Link Road Branch, Cuttack and clean the bank premises during the morning hours between 8 am to 10 am for a period of two months, ' Justice Panigrahi said in the order. 'The IIC of the concerned police station, in coordination with the bank authority, shall monitor whether the petitioner has cleaned the said bank premises or not,' Justice Panigrahi said setting it as an additional condition while directing the trial court to release the petitioner on bail 'with some stringent terms and conditions as deemed just and proper by it.' The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of CID-Crime Branch had registered a case against the woman under different sections of IPC and the Odisha Protection of Interests of Depositors (in Financial Establishments) Act, 2011 for allegedly cheating and using forged property documents with intent to cheat. She had allegedly taken loans from the ICICI Bank, Link Road branch in Cuttack by mortgaging properties which were already pledged and loans availed from Indian Bank. While the case is pending before the designated OPID court in Cuttack, Patnaik had filed the bail petition in the high court. Meanwhile, the trial court has set submission of Rs 10 lakh property security for her release on bail. But she continued to be in jail as on Thursday as the property security had not been placed before the trial court.
