p. 1 IN THE HIGH COURT OF ORISSA AT CUTTACK ABLAPL No.2988 of 2026 1. Panchanan Pradhan @ Panchu 2. Kabita Pradhan …. Petitioners Mr. Kishore Chandra Rajguru, Advocate -versus- State of Odisha …. Opposite Party Mr. Debaraj Mohanty, AGA CORAM: JUSTICE SIBO SANKAR MISHRA Order No. ORDER 07.05.2026 02. 1. Heard. 2. The petitioners are seeking pre-arrest bail in connection with Balanga P.S. Case No.15 of 2026 corresponding to Special G.R. Case No.7 of 2026 registered for alleged commission of offences punishable under Sections 115(2)/296/3(5)/351(2) of the BNS, 2023 r/w Section 3(1) of the SC & ST (PoA) Act, pending in the Court of the learned Additional District & Sessions Judge, Nimapada. 3. Learned counsel for the petitioners, on instruction from the petitioners, submits that except the present bail application, no other bail application of the p. 2 petitioners is pending in any other Court relating to the aforesaid F.I.R. 4. The allegation against the petitioners is that on 17.01.2026 at about 7.05 P.M., the complainant reported at the P.S. alleging that on 20.11.2025, one Sudarshan Pradhan along with others, on the occasion of Manabasha Gurubar, came to his house and abused the complainant in obscene language aspersing his caste like “SALA BAURI” and said him that if he will not serve the village people, he will oust from the village. Thereafter, Panchu Pradhan pulled him out from the house giving push. Hence, the case. 5. Learned counsel for the petitioners submits that since the offence under the SC/ST Act has been invoked in the present case, this application could be disposed of in terms of the judgment in the case of Pramod Kumar Ray vs. State of Orissa, reported in (2017) 67 OCR, 309. 6. Regard being had to paragraph-23 of the judgment of Pramod Kumar Ray (supra), the fact scenario of the present case and the nature of the p. 3 allegations against the petitioners, this bail application is disposed of, keeping it open for the petitioners to surrender before the learned trial Court and supply the additional copy of the bail application to the Public Prosecutor for the purpose of hearing of the bail application. The petitioners may be admitted to the interim bail pending disposal of the regular bail application on consideration of the case on merit as other penal offences are also allegedly committed by the petitioner. 7. With the aforementioned observation and direction, the ABLAPL is disposed of. (S.S. Mishra) Judge Subhasis Designation: Personal Assistant Location: High Court of Orissa, Cuttack.