The judge, identified as Subash Kumar Bihari, was on leave for the last two days and scheduled to re-join work on Friday. However, he had once again applied for leave from work today, his steno Rabi Narayan Mahapatra said.
Mahapatra said that the judge called him earlier this morning and asked him to write a leave application. However, a few hours later, he said he got the news that the judge is unwell and being taken to a hospital.
The judge’s wife and two daughters had gone to the local market. When they returned at 1 p.m., they found the main door locked. When they forced open the door, they found the judge hanging from a ceiling fan, sources said.
Police reached the spot and Bihari was first rushed to the nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead.
However, the exact reason for his death is yet to be revealed. Police have started an investigation over the incident.
Prima facie, it seems to be a case of death by suicide. There were ligature marks on his neck, which occur due to hanging, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Zone 3, Cuttack Tapas Chandra Pradhan, said.
There are also scratch marks on his body. Further investigation will be carried out to confirm the cause of death after the post-mortem, Pradhan said.
The judge’s brother Subodh Bihari said that there was not much conversation between them as both were busy in their work. However, he said he is unaware of any problem within the judge’s family in Cuttack.