BHUBANESWAR: Former Law secretary Pramod Panigrahi passed away at Cuttack recently. He suffered a cardiac arrest and died at a private hospital on May 19.
Panigrahi had served as a judge in various districts including Phulbani, Balangir, Puri and Cuttack as well as in Orissa HC before retiring as Law Secretary. He was popular for his honesty and integrity.
A native of Aska, Panigrahi belonged to one of the most respected legal families of the State that included his father Justice Lingaraj Panigrahi and his uncles Barrister Madhusudan Panigrahi and Radhakrishna Panigrahi.
He is known to have drafted some landmark policies including the Women’s Reservation Bill and Anti-corruption Bill during his tenure.
A multi-faceted personality, Panigrahi was popular in legal services, theatre, literature, acting as well as lyrics writing during his life time.
His foray into the world of theatre and films began with his stint in Kolkata with leading theatre and film personalities like Pahari Sanyal and concurrently working in ‘Parinam’ as the lead actor. He had also written lyrics of ‘Manikajodi’.Panigrahi was closely associated with Annapurna Theatre movement in Cuttack.
He is survived by sons Charudutta and Sthitapragyna. His wife Mandakini Panigrahi had pre-deceased him in 2007.