Patnagarh Parcel Bomb Case: Odisha Court Convicts Prime Accused Punjilal Meher, Sentences Him To Life Imprisonment

More than seven years after a deadly parcel bomb blast took the lives of two in Odisha's Patnagarh sending chills down the spine of the entire nation, a Sessions Court on Wednesday convicted its prime accused Punjilal Meher and has sentenced him to imprisonment for life.

Ms. Sonali Pattanaik, Additional Sessions Judge, Patnagarh has drawn the curtains in the contentious case after days of marathon hearing, which included examination of 62 witnesses.

On February 23, 2018, newly-wed 26-year-old Soumya Sekhar Sahu, a software engineer by profession, received a postal parcel which he mistook for a congratulatory wedding gift. The moment he unwrapped the packet, a powerful blast ensued. The explosion was deadly enough to kill Sahu and his grandmother, further seriously injuring his wife Reema.

Subsequently, an investigation was carried out which pointed inculpatory clues towards the accused Punjilal Meher, a senior faculty member of an educational institution, who was arrested by the Odisha Crime Branch on April 24, 2018. Further inquiry revealed that the accused bore professional grudge against the mother of the deceased.

It was also revealed that Meher not only posted the parcel bomb from a misleading identity but also took tutorials to learn about making bombs. Accordingly, in August 2018, a charge-sheet was filed against him under Section 302 (punishment for murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the IPC. As he pleaded non-guilty, the trial was held.

The prosecution, after examining a number of witnesses, alleged that the accused had a strong motive to eliminate the family of the deceased Soumya Sekhar Sahu due to professional animosity with his mother.

The prosecution demanded the imposition of death penalty on the accused for cold-blooded execution of his evil intentions. However, after duly hearing both the sides, the Court has found Meher guilty under the aforesaid provisions but has imposed life imprisonment, which would mean incarceration till the end of his natural life.

(Story to be updated after the judgment is uploaded.)