Former Malkangiri District Collector and IAS officer Manish Agarwal appeared before the SDJM Court in Malkangiri today and was granted bail in a case related to the suicide of his personal assistant (PA), Deba Narayan Panda.
The bail was granted against two sureties of ₹50,000 each, following his compliance with the Supreme Court’s directive.
Agarwal had earlier secured interim bail from the Supreme Court after his anticipatory bail petition was rejected by the Orissa High Court. The case revolves around the 2019 death of his PA, whose body was recovered from Satiguda Dam in Malkangiri. Initially registered as an unnatural death, the matter escalated when Panda’s wife alleged foul play, resulting in a murder charge against Agarwal.
The case later took a turn when, in 2023, the Orissa High Court found no prima facie evidence for murder but directed the trial court to continue proceedings on abetment to suicide charges. Agarwal, who now serves as Additional Secretary in Odisha’s Planning and Convergence Department, has consistently maintained his innocence.
His bail approval today allows the legal proceedings to continue without immediate incarceration, marking a crucial development in this high-profile case.
