# Odisha Police Probes Face Court Scrutiny Over Two High-Profile Cases 2026-08-07T06:40:58+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Odisha’s Crime Branch and Commissionerate Police face scrutiny after a court criticised the investigation into textbook errors and a chargesheet dropped nine of 20 accused in the murder of GRP constable Soumya Ranjan Swain. A special court in Cuttack granted bail to former SCERT director Manoj Kumar Padhy, saying investigators had produced no material showing personal gain or checked suspicious financial transactions involving him or his family. Padhy faces charges linked to approving school textbook manuscripts without factual verification. In the murder case, the Crime Branch chargesheeted 11 people. It said video footage, mobile location checks and other inquiries found no evidence placing the remaining nine at the scene. Their arrests by Balianta police have put the local investigation under scrutiny. ## Coverage - newindianexpress.com Tags: court scrutiny, Crime Branch, GRP constable murder, Odisha Police, textbook errors Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/odisha-police-probes-face-court-scrutiny-over-two-high-profile-cases/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/odisha-police-probes-face-court-scrutiny-over-two-high-profile-cases/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.