In an unusual development, Choudwar Circle Jail Superintendent Sujit Kumar Roul has been arrested in connection with an alleged forgery and manipulation of official jail records. After being produced before a court, Roul was denied bail and sent to judicial custody in the same Choudwar jail where he had served as superintendent.
Roul was arrested by Choudwar police from his residence in Saheed Nagar, Bhubaneswar. He was subsequently produced before the court, which rejected his bail plea and remanded him to judicial custody.
Alleged Manipulation of Jail Records
The case relates to the alleged tampering of the jail’s important minutes book and other official records following the escape of two undertrial prisoners, Madhukant Rana and Raja Sahani, from Choudwar Circle Jail on October 2, 2025.
According to the complaint filed by then-jailer Santoshini Das, Roul was not on duty when the two prisoners escaped. He was allegedly accused of manipulating official records to show his presence at the jail and of getting the jailer’s signature forged on official documents without her knowledge.
Police had reportedly issued repeated notices seeking the original minutes book and other relevant documents as part of the investigation. Roul was also facing legal proceedings over the allegations.
Legal Proceedings
Roul had approached the Orissa High Court seeking protection from arrest. The court initially granted interim protection, but later rejected his anticipatory bail plea and withdrew the protection. He subsequently approached the Supreme Court, where his anticipatory bail petition was reported to be pending.
Following his arrest, Roul was produced before the court and sent to judicial custody.
Jail Superintendent Becomes Inmate
The arrest has drawn attention because Roul has now been lodged in the same prison where he previously served as superintendent and was responsible for overseeing inmates and jail administration. Reports have described it as an unusual case in Odisha.
Meanwhile, Jail DG Sushant Nath visited Choudwar Jail and reviewed the situation and investigation-related developments.