HC Grants Bail To Lucknow Jeweller Accused Of Killing Wife & Children In Odisha’s Puri

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has granted bail to Lucknow-based jeweller Amit Agarwal, who was arrested by CBI from Indore five years for allegedly killing his wife and two children in a seaside hotel in Puri in 2013.

The single judge bench of Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo ordered for Amit’s release on Tuesday in view of the slow progress of trial with only 12 of the 152 prosecution witnesses having been examined since the charges were framed against him on December 26, 2018.

“He shall furnish bail bond of Rs 1 lakh with two local solvent sureties each for the like amount to the satisfaction of the trial court with further terms and conditions as the court may deem just and proper,” Justice Sahoo said.

The court also asked him to personally appear before SP, CBI, Bhubaneswar once a month preferably during the first week of every month.

A financially-bankrupt Amit had checked in into a hotel in the pilgrim town on December 9, 2013. On December 14 that year, his wife Ankita Bansal, 4-year-old son Divyanshu and 7-year-old daughter Vani were found dead. Preliminary investigation suggested they were strangulated to death.

The prosecution alleged that he had planned to commit suicide after killing his family members. But he failed to kill self after committing the murders and fled the hotel.

The CBI took over the probe from Puri police on September 3, 2015 and traced Amit to Indore on May 25, 2018. The chargesheet in the case was submitted before the trial court in Bhubaneswar on September 20, 2018. Amit was named as the main accused.

Amit moved  the high court after the court of second additional sessions judge (Bhubaneswar) rejected his bail on July 6, 2023.