Gauhati High Court overturns Arunachal IAS officer’s bail in teen suicide case

GUWAHATI

The Gauhati High Court has revoked a lower court’s order granting bail to Arunachal Pradesh IAS officer Talo Potom, who was named in the suicide notes of a 19-year-old in 2025.

Mr. Potom, a Special Secretary (PWD) in the Government of Delhi, was released within a week of his arrest.

Justice Yarenjungla Longkumer of the High Court’s Itanagar Bench ordered on Wednesday (January 22, 2026) that Potom, facing charges of abetment to suicide, be taken into custody immediately. The bench criticised the District and Sessions Court at Yupia for granting bail “without proper application of mind.”

The victim’s father approached the High Court under Section 483(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita to seek cancellation of bail.

The case originated from an FIR lodged by the man after his son was found dead at his rented accommodation in Papum Pare district on October 23, 2025. In the notes left behind, the deceased accused Mr. Potom and senior engineer Likwang Lowang of sexually exploiting and harassing him over a prolonged period.

The notes mentioned that “prolonged humiliation, coercion, and threats” drove him to take the extreme step. The charges against the officials included abetment to suicide, sexual exploitation, mental harassment, and corruption. Hours after the FIR was filed, Lowang, who worked in the State’s Rural Works Department, shot himself.

In its order, the High Court said the trial court had ignored crucial materials and recorded findings contrary to established legal principles governing bail. The bench emphasised that the offence had “shocked the collective conscience of the society,” a factor the lower court failed to consider.

The HC Bench noted that while cancellation of bail should not be routine, it is permissible if the order is unjustified, perverse, or ignores material facts. It added that releasing an influential officer like Potom at the early stage of the investigation, despite a prima facie case, could have derailed the probe.

(Arunachal Pradesh suicide prevention helpline numbers: 14416, 1800-89-14416)