Punjilal Meher gets life term in 2018 Patnagarh parcel bomb case

Bhubaneswar, May 28: The Additional District Judge Court in Patnagarh has sentenced Punjilal Meher to life imprisonment for his involvement in the 2018 parcel bomb case that shocked Odisha. Alongside the life term, the court also imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on Meher, who was an English lecturer and former principal of Jyoti Vikas College.

The verdict came after the court recorded statements from 62 witnesses, as well as the accused. Meher was found guilty of orchestrating the deadly attack that killed two people and left a newlywed woman critically injured.

The tragic incident occurred on February 23, 2018, when software engineer Soumyasekhar and his wife Reema Rani received a parcel at their residence. Mistaking it for a wedding gift, Soumyasekhar opened the package, triggering an explosion that claimed his life and that of his 85-year-old grandmother Jemamani Sahu. Reema, who was nearby, sustained serious injuries but survived.

Investigations revealed that Meher held a grudge against Soumyasekhar's mother, Sanjukta Sahu, who had replaced him as college principal. In a calculated act of revenge, Meher spent months planning the attack, purchasing materials and mailing the bomb from Raipur under a false identity. The verdict brings an end to a high-profile case that remained under public attention for years.