CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Wednesday rejected the bail pleas of three police personnel accused of involvement in the custodial death of 28-year-old Akash Mahuria at Jeypore Town police station in Koraput district in 2017.
While declining to grant bail, Justice V Narasingh observed, “Society governed by the rule of law expects discipline, not death, in custody; for custody is not a licence to keep Constitutional Rights at bay.”
The three petitioners constable Debendra Kumar Paik, additional sub-inspector Krushna Chandra Behera and sub-inspector Siba Prasad Sahu have been in custody since August 29, 2025. They are accused of causing Mahuria’s death on January 30, 2017.
Justice Narasingh held that releasing the accused at this stage could undermine the sanctity of the trial. He emphasised that prolonged incarceration alone cannot be the sole ground for granting bail, particularly in a case involving allegations of custodial violence by police personnel entrusted with protecting citizens’ lives.
Referring to the deceased as a history-sheeter involved in 14 cases, Justice Narasingh said “The right to life under Article 21 is not contingent upon the antecedents or social standing of an individual.”
The court noted that medical evidence indicated 24 injuries on Mahuria’s body. While the petitioners claimed the injuries were accidental and resulted from a fall from a motorcycle during an attempt to evade arrest, the state and the informant disputed this account, alleging that the injuries were caused by assault.
“Their release at this stage would undermine the sanctity of the trial,” the judge held, declining to grant bail.
According to the prosecution, the police team had gone to apprehend Mahuria, who allegedly fell from his motorcycle while fleeing on Canal Road. He was taken to SD Hospital in Jeypore and subsequently referred to the district headquarters hospital in Koraput, where he died during treatment.
The case was initially registered in Jeypore Town police station on January 30, 2017, and later taken over by the CID-Crime Branch which registered a fresh case on November 12, 2021.