Odisha bomb case accused’s wife seeks stay on movie

Soudamini Meher, the wife of professor Punjilal Meher – the main accused in the 2018 Odisha parcel bomb explosion case – approached the Bombay high court (HC),

Soudamini Meher, the wife of professor Punjilal Meher – the main accused in the 2018 Odisha parcel bomb explosion case – approached the Bombay high court (HC), seeking a stay on the release of the movie Patnagarh, which is purportedly based on the same incident.

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The explosion, which took place on February 23, 2018, had killed a man and his grandmother in Patnagarh, Odisha, while thevictim’s wife had suffered grievous injuries in the incident.

Meher’s petition will come up for hearing before a division bench of justice Amjad Sayed and justice Anuja Prabhudessai on Monday.

The film is set to release on February 28. HT made calls and sent a message to the film’s director Rajesh Touchriver for a comment, but he had not responded till the time of going to press.

According to Meher’s petition through advocate Vinod Sangvikar, Patnagarh resident Soumya Shekhar Sahu had received a parcel at his home on February 23, 2018. While opening the parcel, the bomb hidden inside it exploded. The explosion was so powerful that it tore off the plaster on the ceiling, cracked the walls and hurled the kitchen windows of a room in a nearby field. Sahu, his wife Reema and grandmother Jemamani suffered severe injuries in the explosion. Sahu and Jemamani died on the way to a hospital. Reema was discharged later.

Two months after the explosion on April 24, the police arrested Punjilal Meher, stating, he was the mastermind in the case. According to the police, the crime was committed owing to a rivalry between Punjilal Meher and Sahu’s mother. Punjilal Meher was allegedly upset after Sahu’s mother replaced him as the principal of a college in Bhainsa, Odisha.

According to Meher, the movie Patnagarh allegedly portrays the minute details of the incident. “The trial is yet to begin, but the movie attempts to convey the message of guilt of the petitioner’s husband in the minds of the society,” her petition stated.

She contended that apart from prejudicing the case of her husband and thereby violating his right to fair trial, the release of the film will also harm her family’s reputation and breach their right to privacy, as it scheduled to be released without their consent.

She therefore urged the court to restrain the producer and director of the film from releasing it. Meher also sought a direction to the Central Board of Film Certification to withhold the certification granted to the movie.