While the Baleswar Sessions Court on Thursday rejected the bail application of son of former law Minister Raghunath Mohnaty, two special teams comprising selected policemen of the Human Rights Protection Cell (HRPC) here have launched a massive manhunt to nab Mohanty and three other family members, including his wife, who are booked by the police in a dowry torture case brought by his daughter-in-law Barsa Swony Choudhury.
According to highly placed sources at the State police headquarters here, the HRPC cops have upped their ante to arrest the senior BJD leader, who is now left with no legal protection after his prayers to the Odisha High Court were turned down on Wednesday. Booked under several charges including Sectiona 498-A and 506 of IPC, Mohanty, MlA of Basta in Baleswar district, has gone underground since Friday last after putting in his papers as a Minister.
Mohanty’s son Raja Shree, the key accused in the case, was arrested by the HRPC cops from an undisclosed location on the outskirts of Cuttack last Sunday.
The police teams have by now raided several places in Baleswar, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar and few other locations outside the State to trace Mohanty, sources said. However, the lookout effort of the cops mounted from Wednesday when Mohanty’s writ petition to the High Court to quash the FIR registered against him and family members was dismissed. Similarly, the HC also refused to grant any interim relief to the beleaguered former Minister and his family.
Even if Mohanty approaches the HC for an anticipatory bail, the petition is unlikely to come up for adjudication by next week, said a lawyer here, adding that the police are now left with no choice but to arrest him and other accused persons and produce them in court.
In yet another blow to Raghunath Mohanty’s son Raja Shree Mohanty, his bail petition moved in the District and Sessions Court here was rejected on Thursday.
Raja Shree has been lodged at the Baleswar Jail since Monday after rejection of his earlier bail application by the Court of SDJM here.
The District Court observed that since the case is at the investigation stage and the other accused persons are also influential in the society and Raja Shree was arrested only three days ago, grant of bail would adversely affect the case.
The bail petition was moved advocate Niranjan Panda while Biren Panda was the Public Prosecutor. “Since our petition is rejected, we may wait for some days and file another petition in the Sessions Court or approach the High Court for relief,” said lawyer Niranjan Panda.
Earlier, Raja Shree was sent to a 14-day judicial custody after the SDJM here had court rejected his bail application on Monday. On March 14, Raja Shree’s wife Barsa Swony Choudhury had lodged a complaint at the Baleswar Town police station alleging dowry torture against his husband and four other family members including Raghunath Mohanty.