Cooperate in probe or no interim protection: HC to Choudwar jail officer

Cuttack: Orissa high court has warned that the interim protection granted to Sujit Kumar Raula, senior superintendent of Choudwar Circle Jail, could be vacated if he failed to cooperate with an ongoing investigation into alleged manipulation of prison records, following escape of two murder accused.Hearing Raula’s anticipatory bail plea May 4, Justice R K Pattanaik directed the petitioner to hand over all documents sought by the investigating officer “without default”.The HC was informed that despite the ongoing probe, the petitioner was allegedly not extending cooperation and had failed to supply relevant papers required for the investigation.Raula had filed the anticipatory bail petition after former jailer Santoshini Dash filed an FIR against him following the escape of two murder accused from Choudwar Circke Jail on Oct 2, 2025. She accused Raula of forging her signature to shift responsibility. The HC had, as an interim measure, directed that Raula shall not be taken into judicial custody in connection with the case.Advocate Binoda Kumar Mishra, appearing on behalf of Dash submitted that an inquiry conducted by the DIG of prisons, Cuttack Range, had allegedly detected manipulation in the in-out register maintained at the jail. According to the submission, the alleged tampering was carried out at the behest of the petitioner, leading to the false implication of the informant, who is now facing departmental proceedings.Justice Pattanaik noted that the case diary, earlier sought by the court through its March 30 order, had been produced by the state. Taking the submissions on record, he directed the state to obtain further instructions regarding the progress and findings of the investigation and report back on the next date of hearing.The matter has been next posted to May 21. Justice Pattanaik clarified that “if no co-operation is received from the petitioner, as is alleged at present, the interim order dated 23rd March, 2026 shall stand vacated”.In her FIR, Dash had alleged that Raula had remained absent without authorisation and reported for duty only after the jailbreak. On Oct 1, 2 and 3, 2025, the official gate in-out register of Circle Jail, Cuttack, was deliberately tampered and manipulated so as to falsely depict the continuous presence of Raula within the jail premises during official duty hours,” the complaint stated.Dash had alleged that following the escape of two undertrials, the senior superintendent forged her signature in the minute book on Oct 2, 2025, without her knowledge or consent to fabricate evidence, mislead authorities and falsely implicate her while shielding himself from responsibility.