Justice Served: Life Imprisonment for RTI Activist's Murder

A court in Odisha's Ganjam district sentenced five individuals to life imprisonment for the murder of RTI activist Abhimanyu Panda in Kandhamal district. Despite the murder being unrelated to Panda's RTI activities, it stemmed from a land dispute. The trial concluded with testimonies from 22 witnesses.

In a landmark judgment, a court in Odisha's Ganjam district has sentenced five individuals to life imprisonment for the murder of Right to Information (RTI) activist Abhimanyu Panda. The ruling, pronounced by District and Session Court judge Rupashree Choudhury, is a rare closure for the activist's family who lost him five years ago.

The court examined 22 witnesses before reaching the verdict. Abhimanyu Panda, a 46-year-old RTI activist, met his tragic fate in Baliguda town in Kandhamal district on December 10, 2019. Despite his work in activism, Panda's murder was attributed to an enmity over a land dispute, unsupported by motives connected to his RTI pursuits.

Police records reveal the concoction of a deadly plot: one of the convicts allegedly hired contract killers to eliminate Panda over tensions tied to the Jagannath temple development committee in Baliguda. The killers ambushed him outside his home, fatally shooting him at close range. Days later, the police apprehended the suspects, bringing them to justice at last.

(With inputs from agencies.)