Malkangiri, Jun 12: The Malkangiri Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court has granted bail to IAS officer Manish Agarwal in connection with the case on abetment of suicide of his personal assistant (PA), Deba Narayan Panda, when he was Malkangiri collector.

He was released on bail against two sureties of Rs 50,000 each.

Agarwal had been under judicial scrutiny regarding the incident, and his legal representatives had pushed for bail citing various grounds.

As per the case details, Panda had gone missing under suspicious circumstances on December 27, 2019. Days later, his body was fished out from the Satiguda dam on December 28, 2019.

Initially, murder charges were laid against Agarwal and three others following accusations from Panda’s family. However, the High Court later clarified that the charges are now framed under abetment to suicide.

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