IN THE HIGH COURT OF ORISSA AT CUTTACK ABLAPL No.3151 of 2026 Priyabrata Sahoo …. Petitioner(s) Mr. Sarada Prasad Dash, Advocate -versus- State of Odisha …. Opposite Party(s) Ms. Suvalaxmi Devi, ASC CORAM: JUSTICE SIBO SANKAR MISHRA Order No. ORDER 24.04.2026 01. 1. Heard. 2. This ABLAPL has been filed by the petitioner apprehending arrest consequential to an FIR likely to be instituted against him. 3. Learned counsel for the petitioner, on instruction from the petitioner, submits that, except the present bail application, no other bail application of the petitioner is pending in any other Court relating to the aforesaid F.I.R. 4. The prosecution case, in brief, is that one Namita Murmu, a teacher at Binapani Government U.P. School, Bagada, submitted a written complaint on plain paper before the I.I.C., Kasafal Marine Police Station, alleging that the present petitioner had harassed her on account of her belonging to a Scheduled Tribe (ST) community. It is further alleged that she subsequently approached the said Police Station and lodged an F.I.R. against the petitioner. 5. It is stated that although the police have not formally registered the F.I.R. till date but the police personnel, in the name of investigation, are making attempts to apprehend the present petitioner at odd hours. In such circumstances, having no other alternative remedy, the petitioner has approached this Court by filing an application for anticipatory bail. 6. Learned counsel for the State on the other hand submits that since no F.I.R. has been registered, the bail application for anticipatory bail is premature. 7. Be that as it may, in the event an F.I.R. is registered and the petitioner is arrayed as an accused, before taking any coercive action, the police shall issue a written notice to the petitioner before one month and shall also comply the terms of the judgment of Arnesh Kumar vrs. State of Bihar and another reported in (2014) 8 SCC 273 and Satender Kumar Antil vrs. CBI reported in (2021) 10 SCC 773 as well as Pramod Kumar Ray vrs. State of Orissa reported in (2017) 67 OCR 309. 8. With this observation, the ABLAPL is disposed of. (S.S. Mishra) Judge Swarna