Evasive Orissa DGP Mohanty surrenders in Jaipur court

11 Jan, 2008, 0203 hrs IST, TNN

JAIPUR: Orissa DGP (Home Guards) Bidya Bhushan Mohanty, against whom a non-bailable warrant was issued by a local court for helping his son Bitti to jump parole in a rape case, surrendered before additional chief judicial magistrate Rajendra Bansal’s court, here on Thursday.

The court rejected the bail plea of Mohanty and remanded him in judicial custody till January 23. The Rajasthan police have charged him under Section 120B and 130 of the IPC for conspiracy to help a criminal escape from lawful custody. He is also charged under Sec 216 for harbouring an offender, who has escaped from custody.

Recently, the Supreme Court had ordered him to surrender within two weeks. Mohanty was suspended by the Orissa government, and immediately he went underground to evade arrest. His son Biti, who was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 for raping a German girl in Alwar in 2006, is still absconding, after let out on parole from November 20 to December 4, 2006. Both father and son were declared proclaimed offenders earlier by the same court.

Mohanty, sporting a beard and wearing pullover, appeared in the court with his counsel Mukesh Gupta, who submitted his bail application stating that under Sect 225 of the IPC Mohanty should be granted bail. But assistant public prosecutor V N Shukla argued that under Sect 225(2) there was no provision for bail.

Shukla further stressed that Mohanty has misused his power as a high police official and has been consistently evading arrest. Whenever the Jaipur police had tried to serve the warrant on him, he had used his influence and position to see that the warrant was not served. Shukla said Mohanty was charged with helping his son jump parole after he stood as the surety.

The defence counsel said Mohanty, was unwell and his 90-year-old mother was seriously ill. Mohanty has an unmarried daughter also, he added.The additional chief judicial magistrate, however, rejected the plea and ordered that he be kept in a secured place and not in the lock-up.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/PoliticsNation/Evasive_Orissa_DGP_Mohanty_surrenders_in_Jaipur_court/articleshow/2691127.cms