Bhubaneswar, November 14: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of BJP MLA from Sambalpur and ex-Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly Jayanarayan Mishra, accused of slapping a woman police officer during a protest outside Sambalpur Collectorate in 2023.
A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti dismissed the petition noting that grant of anticipatory bail to Mishra could prejudice the investigation.
The order dictated thus, “At the relevant time, petitioner was Leader of the Opposition and is currently a Member of Odisha Legislative Assembly. People in leadership positions must set an example for public behavior. The allegations against the petitioner are serious and would require a professional investigation by the police, which might be prejudiced in the event of granting anticipatory bail to the petitioner.”
Notably, in 2023, a protest was held in front of the Sambalpur Collectorate. During the same, police officers attempted to stop protestors, including Mishra when they approached the office gate. A female police officer approached Mishra, but allegedly, he slapped her and used disrespectful language. Thereafter, an FIR was lodged against him in February, 2023.
Mishra approached the Orissa High Court for anticipatory bail, but the same was denied. Challenging the High Court order, Mishra approached the Supreme Court. Initially, a division bench of Justices Roy and Prashant Kumar Mishra granted interim protection from arrest to Mishra and sought response of the Odisha Government.
