Odisha High CourtCriminal Procedure and EvidenceImmigration and Citizenship Law

Bail denied to foreign national for abetment of suicide and unauthorized overstaying using forged documents.

DJEDJE RAYMOND @ CHIJOKE OKOYEv.STATE OF ODISHA

Bail denied to foreign national for abetment of suicide and unauthorized overstaying using forged documents.. DJEDJE RAYMOND @ CHIJOKE OKOYE vs STATE OF ODISHA. Odisha High Court. LawLens
The LawLens card for this judgmentXLinkedInWhatsApp

In brief

The question

Whether the petitioner is entitled to bail under Section 483 of the BNSS considering the gravity of the offenses and his status as a foreign national with allegedly forged travel documents

The court held

The court answered the issue in the negative and rejected the bail application

It also directed

It held that given the gravity of the offenses, the evidence of forgery, and the petitioner's status as an illegal immigrant, bail could not be granted

The application (BLAPL) was disposed of with a direction to transmit the order to the concerned trial court

01Facts

The petitioner, a foreign national, filed an application for bail under Section 483 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, in connection with Daragha Bazar P.S. Case No. 39 of 2025

p. 1

The petitioner is accused of abetting the suicide of the deceased by blackmailing her for money following a relationship

p. 2

Procedurally, the Investigation Officer (IO) submitted a charge sheet alleging that the petitioner had been overstaying in India since April 2020 without valid documents and had forged his passport and visa

p. 1, 4

The petitioner contended that the allegations were concocted and that the SIM card used for the alleged blackmail was not recovered from him

p. 2

The State and Informant opposed bail, citing a suicide note naming the petitioner and evidence from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) indicating the petitioner’s visa was forged and belonged to another individual

p. 3, 5

02Issues

i.Whether the petitioner is entitled to bail under Section 483 of the BNSS considering the gravity of the offenses and his status as a foreign national with allegedly forged travel documents

pp. 4-5

03Law Applied

The court primarily considered Section 483 of the BNSS, 2023, which governs the High Court's power to grant bail

p. 1

It applied provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 108 (Abetment), 318(4) (Cheating), and 336 (Forgery)

p. 1

Furthermore, the court relied on Section 67/67-A of the IT Act regarding electronic blackmail, and Sections 12(1)(d) and 12(1)(a) of the Passports Act, 1967, alongside Sections 22 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, concerning the illegal stay and use of forged documents by foreign nationals

p. 2, 3

Provisions in the judgment · 13 · Linked ones open on LawLens

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 Section 483

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 Section 78Section 108Section 308Section 318Section 319Section 336Section 338Section 340

Information Technology Act, 2000 Section 67

Passports Act, 1967 Section 12

Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 Section 22Section 23

04Reasoning

The court weighed the nature and gravity of the accusations against the petitioner’s plea for liberty.

It observed that the deceased’s suicide note specifically mentioned a SIM number that was subsequently tracked and recovered from the petitioner

p. 4

The court found significant weight in the IO's report, supported by the FRRO Hyderabad, which confirmed that the petitioner’s Visa (No. VJ5038102) was a forged document belonging to another foreigner

pp. 4-5

The court reasoned that the petitioner’s conduct—specifically overstaying in India since 2020 through impersonation and forgery—indicated a high risk of absconding

pp. 3-4

It determined that the prima facie involvement in abetment of suicide, coupled with the lack of valid travel documents, made it "hazardous" to grant bail as there was no guarantee the petitioner would appear for trial

pp. 3-4

05Holding

The court answered the issue in the negative and rejected the bail application

p. 5

It held that given the gravity of the offenses, the evidence of forgery, and the petitioner's status as an illegal immigrant, bail could not be granted

pp. 4-5

The application (BLAPL) was disposed of with a direction to transmit the order to the concerned trial court

p. 5
Odisha High Court

Original Court PDF

DJEDJE RAYMOND @ CHIJOKE OKOYEvsSTATE OF ODISHA

Odisha High Court · April 09, 2026

Click to open original judgment

Original judgment, available to read, download and summarize on LawLens.in

Click to open original judgment