SC stays GHC Order on Bail for Talo Potom in Suicide Case
The Supreme Court of India stayed the Gauhati High Court’s order cancelling the bail of Arunachal Pradesh IAS officer Talo Potom in a high-profile abetment to suicide case.
NEW DELHI/ ITANAGAR- The Supreme Court of India on Monday stayed the order of the Gauhati High Court that had cancelled the bail granted to senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Talo Potom, who is accused in a high-profile abetment to suicide case. The bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Atul S. Chandurkar passed the order while hearing the appeal filed by the accused against the High Court’s decision.
The case arises from the suicide of a 19-year-old male, Gomchu Yekar, whose death was reported at his rented residence in Lekhi village, Papum Pare district, in October 2025. Suicide notes, reportedly in the deceased’s handwriting, named Potom and another official, alleging systematic mental harassment, sexual exploitation, and corruption-linked pressures as purported contributing factors to the youth’s decision to take his life.
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Potom was arrested by police on October 27, 2025, and subsequently granted bail by the Sessions Court in Yupia on November 4, 2025, after spending approximately two weeks in judicial custody. The bail order was challenged before the Gauhati High Court by the father of the deceased, who contended that the trial court erred in granting bail at a nascent stage of the investigation.
In late January, the Itanagar Bench of the Gauhati High Court quashed Potom’s bail, observing that the trial court had ignored crucial evidence and applied an incorrect legal analysis in granting bail. The High Court described the earlier bail order as “perverse” and directed that the accused be taken into custody forthwith.
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However, during Monday’s hearing before the Supreme Court, senior counsel for Potom argued that the High Court’s cancellation of bail required reconsideration. The apex court’s interim order stayed the High Court’s decision, reinstating the earlier bail granted by the trial court. The Supreme Court has directed that Potom must cooperate with the ongoing investigation and emphasised that the stay should not impede the investigative process.
The Supreme Court’s order represents a temporary relief to the accused, with final adjudication on the merits of the appeal likely to be taken up at a later stage.
Meanwhile, the investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), including forensic examination of deleted digital communications, continues as part of the probe into allegations surrounding the youth’s death.
