HC stays NBW against wife over forest officer’s death

Cuttack: The Orissa high court on Tuesday imposed till July 27 an interim stay on the order of SDJM, Parlakhemundi, issuing a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Bidyabharati Panda, widow of assistant conservator of forest (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, who died under mysterious circumstances two years ago.Bidyabharati had filed a petition challenging the NBW issued against her. Acting on it, the single-judge bench of Justice Sashikanta Mishra posted the matter to July 27 for hearing. In the interim no coercive action shall be taken against her, Justice Mishra’s order said.The petition will be taken up for hearing along with the plea filed earlier by Bidyabharati challenging the order of the SDJM, Parlakhemundi which had taken cognisance of the murder complaint naming her as one of the three accused. Justice Mishra also issued an interim stay on further proceedings arising out of the order.While taking cognizance of the murder complaint, the court of SDJM had stated that a prima facie case is well made under Section 302 (murder) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy).On the night of July 11, 2022, the ACF sustained serious injuries in his quarters at Paralakhemundi. He was admitted to the MKCG Medical College Hospital, Berhampur, with 90% burns. Later he was shifted to a private hospital in Cuttack where he died on July 13.Abhiram Mohapatra, father of Soumya Ranjan filed a petition in the sub-divisional judicial magistrate’s (SDJM)’s court in Parlakhemundi alleging that his son had been murdered. He accused Soumya’s widow Bidyabharati, their cook Manmath Kumbha, and the then DFO, Sangram Kesari Behera, for the death of his son. The crime branch had investigated the case and given a clean chit to the DFO and the cook.