In the alleged dowry torture against their daughter-in-law, former law Minister Raghunath Mohanty (62) and his wife Pritilata Mohanty (55) were produced before the SDJM Court here on Saturday afternoon by a Human Rights Protection Cell (HRPC) team.
The Mohanty couple, who is among the accused in the dowry torture case filed by their daughter-in-law Barsa Swony Choudhury had been arrested from a flat in Howrah earlier on the day.
The court sent them to jail custody till Tuesday. Assistant Public Prosecutor in the SDJM court Arun Behera said, “For consideration of bail petition, the court has fixed the date on April 2. The court also sought the updated status of the case diary on this date. Since the case is under consideration by the court, the Mohanty couple would be in the jail custody during the intervening period.”
In the morning, a team of the State Human Rights Protection Cell (HRPC) had arrested Mohanty and his wife from their hideout near Kolkata.
Crime Branch ADG BK Sharma said Mohanty had taken two flats on rent at Shanti Kunj, Betiatola in Shalimar of Howrah district. The flats were booked in the names of two separate persons to avoid any suspicion about the fugitive couple hiding in one flat and their driver given accommodation in the other.
Mohanty seemed to have made a long-term plan to escape from the police. He had not been picking up any phone since he had vanished from the scene since March 15 afternoon after resigning from the Cabinet a day after his daughter-in-law filed the dowry torture case against him and his family members.
The HRPC and Crime Branch had formed three different teams and one of them got the success while ADG Sharma himself was running the control room round the clock for last five days.
Incidentally, Rajashree Mohanty, son of Raghunath Mohanty and husband of Barsa, was also produced before the SDJM Court on Saturday after completion of a 14-day term in judicial custody. later, he was sent to jail after his appearance in the court.
“This is a general procedure that an undertrial prisoner would appear in court in every 14 days. Since he was lodged in the Baleswar jail from March 18, he appeared after 14 days,” informed Raja Shree’s advocate Gour Chandra Barik, adding that the next hearing in the court would take place on Wednesday.
Notably, the bail petitions of Raja Shree have been rejected thrice in different courts, twice in the SDJM Court and once in the Sessions Court.
The court witnessed a huge rush of curious onlookers and Mohanty’s supporters. The police with a view to avoiding any untoward incident produced the Mohanty couple through the rear gate of the court at around 1.55 pm. Within a few minutes, they were escorted out of the court hall and taken to the jail.
BJD MlAs Jiban Pradip Dash and Sudarshan Jena, Zilla Parishad president Ummilata Das, Sadar SDPO KC Parida and senior officers of town and Sahadevkhunta police stations were present.
“Although the arrest of the duo was late, it was possible due to law and media. They helped us a lot,” said Barsa’s father KK Choudhury.
Barsa said, “Rupashree Madhual and Suvendu Madhual, the daughter and son-in-law of Mohanty, are yet to be arrested. I would be satisfied when all five of them are in jail. They all are equally responsible for torturing me physically as well as mentally.”
