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Odisha judge, 49, extended leave by a day, found dead at home hours later
A special Pocso judge in Odisha’s Cuttack was found dead at home by his wife and two daughters when they returned home from the local market on Friday afternoon
BHUBANESWAR: A 49-year-old judge in Odisha’s Cuttack city allegedly died by suicide at his official residence on Friday, hours after he told the personal staff that he extending his leave by a day, police said.
The judge, designated as the special judge to hear cases of child sex abuse in April 2021, had been on leave for the past two days and was scheduled to resume work on Friday. At about 10am, he phoned his stenographer that he was going to take the day off.
Prima facie, it seems to be a case of death by suicide, said Tapas Chandra Pradhan, assistant commissioner of police.
“The judge sent out the orderly at around 12 noon. He seems to have committed suicide between 12 and 1. There were ligature marks on his neck. There are also scratch marks on his body. We will carry out further investigation to confirm the cause of death after the post-mortem,” Pradhan said.
Police said his wife and two daughters were also not at home and had gone to the local market.
They returned at 1pm and found the main door locked. When they forced open the door, they allegedly found the judge hanging from a ceiling fan.
He was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.
A lawyer who had appeared in trials before the special judge for cases under the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act said he was well-regarded by lawyers. “He used to encourage lawyers to come prepared to the court. He would always be smiling and never seemed to be having any sort of workplace stress,” said Partha Sarathi Rout.
According to National Crime Records Bureau statistics, Odisha reported an average of 15 suicide cases every day in 2021, a 23% increase over the 2019 figures. Across the country, the rate of death by suicide in 2021 soared to the highest level ever recorded, rising 6.1% from the previous year.
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