The Supreme Court has granted interim bail to senior IAS officer Manish Agarwal in connection with a five-year-old case related to the alleged abetment of suicide of his personal assistant during his tenure as the District Collector of Malkangiri, Odisha.
Background of the Case
Deba Narayan Panda, Agarwal’s personal assistant, went missing on December 27, 2019. His body was recovered the following day from Satiguda Dam. Although initially registered as a suicide case, the matter escalated when Panda’s wife accused the then-collector of murder.
The police registered an FIR under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 506 (criminal intimidation), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), and 204 (destruction of evidence). The Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court later took cognisance of these charges.
However, in a significant development, the Orissa High Court ruled on June 26, 2023, that there was no prima facie evidence to support the murder charge and directed the trial court to proceed under IPC Section 306 (abetment of suicide) instead.
High Court Earlier Denied Bail
Agarwal had approached the Orissa High Court seeking anticipatory bail, which was rejected on April 25, 2025. The court stated there was no justification to extend such an “exceptional remedy,” emphasizing the importance of maintaining law and order:
“Just as liberty is precious for an individual, so is the interest of the society in maintaining law and order.”
Interim Bail Granted by Supreme Court
Fearing arrest if he appeared before the SDJM court in Malkangiri—especially after his plea for exemption from personal appearance was denied—Agarwal moved the Supreme Court.
A division bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta granted him interim bail after a preliminary hearing and issued a notice returnable by July 22. The bench directed:
“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.”
Supreme Court Had Earlier Declined to Intervene
Earlier in November 2024, the Supreme Court had refused to interfere with the Orissa High Court’s direction to drop the murder charges and proceed under abetment of suicide.
Agarwal is currently serving as Additional Secretary in the Planning and Convergence Department of the Odisha government.
