18 years after giving bail, Orissa High Court dismisses lifer’s appeal

CUTTACK:  The Orissa High Court has affirmed a trial court judgement and dismissed the appeal filed against it by the convict after 19 years. The high court had enlarged the apellant Tapan Kumar Pradhan, who was convicted of murder by additional sessions judge, Deogarh, on bail on August 31, 2004 during the pendency of the appeal.

The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice RK Pattanaik upheld the trial court’s judgement and the sentence of life imprisonment and directed Pradhan to surrender forthwith.
“The bail bonds of the appellant are hereby cancelled and he is directed to surrender forthwith and, in any event, not later than 26th August, 2022 failing which the IIC concerned will take steps to take him into custody to serve out the remainder of his sentence”, the bench ordered.

A woman’s body was found in the backyard of her house with bleeding injuries on her head and neck at Talbahali village under Reamal police station limits on April 2, 2001. The ADJ court convicted Tapan Kumar Pradhan for the murder of the woman on January 8, 2003. He filed an appeal against his conviction in the high court the same year. He was given bail a year later.