Overview

• The Patnagarh ADJ court convicted Punjilal Meher under IPC sections 302, 307 and 201 along with the Explosive Substances Act, imposing life imprisonment and a ₹1.40 lakh fine
• The February 2018 blast killed 26-year-old software engineer Soumya Sekhar Sahu and his 85-year-old great aunt, and left newlywed Reema with severe burns and a punctured eardrum
• Investigators found that Meher harbored a professional grudge against history lecturer Sanjukta Sahu after she replaced him as principal at Jyoti Vikas College
• Evidence showed Meher taught himself bomb making online, stockpiled firecracker powder for tests and shipped the device from Raipur under a false identity
• The Odisha Crime Branch cracked India’s first parcel bomb case using circumstantial evidence and an anonymous letter that pointed to Meher’s involvement