Jailed Bhanu's father becomes minister in Koda's cabinet

Ranchi, Nov 7 (UNI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda today inducted his much-awaited 12th Minister - Mr Lal Hemendra Pratap Dehati - father of jailed MLA Bhanu Pratap Shahi, who was denied oath of office twice by the Governor recently following pending court cases against him.

Mr Shahi, MLA from Bhawanapur, was at present on a 14-day judicial custody in jail.

With Mr Dehati's swearing-in by Governor Shyed Sibtey Razi this evening, Mr Koda's Council of Ministers reached the constitutionally prescribed strength after nearly two months.

On November one, ending months of speculation, Mr Shahi surrendered in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in-charge Varun Kumar Mishra in Garwah in connection with warrants issued against him by the court.

His father, who took the oath on the third expansion of Mr Koda's cabinet, was a former MLA during undivided Bihar.

His jailed son Bhanu, suspended from the Forward Bloc, was denied oath of office twice by Mr Razi to become Minister in the Koda government as he was facing three warrants for his alleged involvement in assault on panchayat sevak Ganesh Tiwari, abusing Dr Vijay Ram of Khan Hospital and manhandling Block Statistics Officer Vishwanath Ram.

The investigating officer earlier had wihtdrawn the warrants saying there was not enough evidence against him prompting the High Court to intervene. Even Chief Minister Madhu Koda before expansion of his Cabinet asserted that Mr Shahi would be made minister for the warrants had been withdrawn.

That raised many controversy promting the High Court to seek details from the IOs regarding the case.

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