Bomb Threat Emails Disrupt Judicial Work at Three Odisha Courts

Judicial work was disrupted across three districts of Odisha on Friday after district and sessions courts in Cuttack, Puri and Phulbani received bomb threat emails, prompting large-scale evacuations and intensive security searches, police officials said.

According to the police, the threatening emails warned of bomb explosions inside the court premises, triggering panic among lawyers, litigants and court staff . As a precautionary measure, all three court campuses were immediately evacuated and judicial proceedings were suspended for the day.

The threats come less than a month after similar emails were received by district courts in Cuttack, Deogarh and Sambalpur on January 8 , which were later suspected to be hoaxes.

Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya confirmed receipt of the threatening emails and said security agencies were carrying out thorough checks.

“I appeal to all members of the judicial fraternity not to panic and to maintain calm. This may be another hoax like the previous incident,” he said.

In Puri, Superintendent of Police Prateek Singh said that dog squads and bomb disposal teams were deployed to comb the premises. Entry and exit points were sealed, and public movement around the courts was restricted during the operation.

In Cuttack, police cordoned off the court complex and carried out an extensive anti-sabotage check . A bomb disposal squad was pressed into service, while security personnel ensured complete evacuation of the premises.

A senior police official in Cuttack said that no suspicious object had been found till noon , but the search operation would continue until the entire premises was fully sanitised.

Though Sambalpur court did not receive a threat email on Friday , local police conducted precautionary searches in view of the earlier incident. Officials noted that the Cuttack court has now received such threatening emails for the second time .

Police said a detailed investigation has been launched to trace the source of the emails , including examination of digital footprints and coordination with cybercrime units. Authorities are also reviewing security arrangements at courts across the state amid rising concerns over repeated threat messages.