Malkangiri: A court here has issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against IAS officer Manish Agarwal for not appearing before it in connection with the death of his assistant (PA) Deba Narayan Panda during his tenure as the Malkangiri Collector in 2019.
Malkangiri Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court has issued the warrant against the officer while hearing a case relating to the death of Panda. Panda, who had gone missing December 27, 2019, was found dead near Satiguda reservoir under Malkangiri Sadar sub-division the next day.
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His wife, Banaja Panda, later filed a case alleging that Agarwal and three others were responsible for his death.
In its order passed February 1, the judge said, “It is observed that by keeping in view the importance of the case record, I found the law is well settled that the accused can avail the benefit of the dispensation of personal attendance but the same cannot be claimed as a right.
PNN
