The Orissa High Court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Bidyabharati Panda in the 2021 death case of ACF Soumya Ranjan Mahapatra. Soumya died after suffering severe burns at his quarters on July 12, 2021. His father alleged a conspiracy, while Bidyabharati claimed she was unaware of his extreme step.
Bhubaneswar: Trouble appears to be mounting for Bidyabharati Panda, wife of deceased Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mahapatra, in the sensational 2021 death case, with the High Court of Orissa rejecting her anticipatory bail application.
The development has raised the possibility of her arrest.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had dismissed her Special Leave Petition (SLP), while the High Court had also rejected two other petitions filed by her.
The case relates to the mysterious death of 32-year-old Soumya Ranjan, who suffered severe burn injuries at his official quarters in Paralakhemundi, Gajapati district, on the night of July 12, 2021.
He died the following day while being shifted for medical treatment.
Soumya Ranjan, who had joined the Odisha Forest Service after clearing the examination in 2019, was posted as an ACF in Gajapati district.
Following the incident, his father, Abhiram Mohapatra, lodged a complaint accusing his daughter-in-law Bidyabharati, the then Paralakhemundi Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sangram Keshari Behera and cook Manmath Kumbh of involvement in his son's death.
The father alleged that a conspiracy had been hatched to eliminate his son because he had objected to the alleged closeness between Bidyabharati and the DFO.
Behera surrendered before the SDJM court on July 27, 2026, while the cook was subsequently arrested.
The allegations, however, were denied by both Bidyabharati and Behera.
Bidyabharati had maintained that her husband set himself ablaze while she was busy in the kitchen and that she was unaware of what prompted him to take the extreme step.
She also claimed that the couple had resolved their differences and were living peacefully.
The deceased officer's family had, meanwhile, questioned the suicide theory and alleged that it was a premeditated murder.
The controversy intensified after the family circulated photocopies of a purported two-page letter allegedly recovered from the officer's official residence.
The letter contained expressions of hatred and regret, triggering speculation about troubled relationships.
Bidyabharati subsequently claimed that she used to write such things whenever she was under mental stress and that the contents were not directed at any particular individual.
She also alleged that her husband was in love with another woman and that they had quarrelled over the issue a few days before the incident.
The circumstances surrounding Soumya Ranjan's death had then triggered widespread public attention and demands for a thorough investigation.