By Crime & Legal Correspondent | Tripura 24.in
AGARTALA | May 26, 2026
AGARTALA: In a major judicial development that has sent ripples through the state’s legal and social circles, the High Court of Tripura today clean-acquitted two primary convicts—Sumit Banik and Sumit Chowdhury—in the sensational and highly publicized Bodhisatwa Das murder case.
The division bench of the High Court overturned the previous life imprisonment verdict issued by the lower court, citing a lack of conclusive evidence linking the duo to the fatal assault. Following the crucial order, Senior Defense Counsel Subrata Sarkar briefed journalists extensively on the High Court premises, outlining the structural gaps in the prosecution’s narrative that led to the clean acquittal.
The Fatal Mid-Night Altercation of 2019
The case dates back to one of the most talked-about and tragic urban crime incidents in Agartala city. The victim, Bodhisatwa Das, was a respected bank official serving as the Branch Manager of the UCO Bank unit in Dharmanagar.
Chronology of the Tragic Incident:
- The Midnight Clash: On the intervening night of August 3 and August 4, 2019, Bodhisatwa Das was sitting near the Jackson Gate and Ujjayanta Palace vicinity in Agartala along with a close friend.
- The Provocation: A group of intoxicated individuals on the roadside was allegedly engaging in rowdy and indecent behavior. When Bodhisatwa raised a strong objection to their public misconduct, a heated verbal altercation broke out.
- The Escalation: The argument quickly spiraled into a violent physical clash. According to the original police case, the attackers targeted Bodhisatwa with sharp weapons and broken glass bottles.
- The Medical Battle: Profusely bleeding and critically injured, he was rushed to the Govind Ballabh Pant (GBP) Hospital in Agartala. As his vitals deteriorated, he was airlifted to a specialized medical facility in Kolkata, where he succumbed to his injuries a few days later.
From District Court Conviction to High Court Exoneration
The police investigation initially led to the high-profile arrest of four individuals: Traffic Police Sub-Inspector Sukanta Biswas, prominent gold trader Sumit Chowdhury, alongside Sumit Banik and Omar Sharif.
Following a prolonged four-year legal battle, the West Tripura District and Sessions Court delivered its judgment in June 2023. Based on the recorded depositions of 56 prosecution witnesses, the lower court had found all four accused guilty, sentencing them to rigorous life imprisonment alongside a financial penalty of ₹50,000 each.
Challenging the conviction, the individuals moved an appeal before the High Court of Tripura. After reviewing the cross-examinations and technical evidence formats, the High Court found the evidence against Sumit Banik and Sumit Chowdhury unsustainable, ordering their immediate and unconditional release.
“Justice Has Served the Innocent Due to Lack of Conclusive Proof”: Advocate Subrata Sarkar
Addressing reporters amidst a massive media scrum outside the High Court building on Tuesday, defense lawyer Subrata Sarkar asserted that a conviction cannot stand on public sentiment alone without watertight corroborative evidence.
”We have maintained from day one that our clients, Sumit Banik and Sumit Chowdhury, were wrongly implicated in the deeper layers of this unfortunate street brawl. While the death of a young bank manager like Bodhisatwa Das is deeply tragic and painful for society, the law operates strictly on bulletproof evidence, not assumptions or public pressure.
The prosecution failed to conclusively establish the exact physical role, individual intent, and weapon recovery linking these two to the direct cause of death. After a meticulous re-evaluation of the cross-examinations of the witnesses, the Honorable High Court rightly observed the severe gaps in the lower court’s findings and has acquitted them honorably today. Justice has finally prevailed,” Defense Attorney Subrata Sarkar stated to the press.
