The Jharkhand High Court on Friday rejected the petition filed by former Minister and Kolebira MlA Anosh Ekka challenging his arrest in connection with the murder of Para Teacher Manoj Kumar on Wednesday by some armed miscreants after being kidnapped from his school. Ekka is currently in judicial custody at Kolebira jail after being arrested on Wednesday late in the night after an FIR was lodged by the brother of the deceased Sanjay Kumar making him a named accused in the case.
“The division bench of Chief Justice Virender Singh and Justice RR Prasad rejected the writ ‘Habeas Corpus,’ filed by Ekka challenging his arrest saying that it was done unlawfully without lodging an FIR against him in the case,” said Additional Advocate General Ajit Kumar. According to Kumar, the court said that the writ was not maintainable as the FIR was lodged on Wednesday several hours before the arrest of Ekka.
Moreover, in the affidavit filed by the respondent also gave the details of arrest where his wife Memon Ekka has also been made a witness while making the arrest, said Kumar.
Ekka was arrested on Wednesday followed by the recovery of the body of Kumar from the adjoining Kolebira forests of Simdega. He was arrested by the police on the ground of being a named accused in the case as well as the statements recorded by the family members of the deceased.
Deceased Kumar, who was earlier associated with Jharkhand Party headed by Ekka, had recently joined Shibu Soren’s JMM after putting his resignation. According to the statements recorded by the family members, Kumar had also written to the administration as well as Chief Minister Hemant Soren to provide police protection apprehending a threat on his life from Ekka after he left the Jharkhand Party.
Kumar was kidnapped from his school -- Rajkiya Utkramit Madhya Vidyala at Jatratand by some armed miscreants, supposed to be PlFI cadres on Wednesday, with an intention to kill him.
Ekka had also been arrested earlier in a disproportionate of Assets case involving several thousand of crore, currently being investigated by Enforcement Directorate which has seized over one crore of property, allegedly owned by him and his wife. Khunti Police has also charged him of conniving with the PlFI for disrupting the poll process.
Ekka is contesting from the Kolibera seat from Jharkhand Party where voting is slated to take place on December 2 during second phase of polling in the state. He got elected on the seat in 2009 Assembly elections.