Bhanu gets bail

Ranchi, Nov 24 (UNI) In a major relief to controversial MLA Bhanu Pratap Shahi, now in jail, theJharkhand High Court today granted bail to him in an SC/ST atrocity case.

Mr Bhanu, already suspended from the Forward Bloc, still face two warant against him.

Justice N N Tiwary passed the bail order after hearing a regular bail petition filed by Mr Shahi.

Mr Rajesh Kumar, appearing on behalf of the petitioner informed the court that Dr Vijay Kumar Ram had filed an FIR on May 5 last alleging assault by the Legislator.

The pleader further pointed out that the allegation made by Dr Ram was false and baseless.

The court after hearing the petitioner, granted bail with two securities each of Rs 20,000.

There were two more criminal cases against him pending before the court.

Mr Shahi surrendered before the court on November one after the Jharkhand High Court took suo-moto action against him.

Yesterday, the court warned of issuing a non-bailable warrant to a senior police officer if he failed to offer unconditional apology in connection with the staying of the procedure of arrest warrant against Mr Shahi.

Mr Shahi was denied oath twice by Governor Syed Sibtey Razi to become Minister in the Madhu Koda government as he was facing three warrants.

The court expressed annoyance when senior police officers, including Inspector General (IG), Deputy Inspector General(DIG), Superintendent of Police(SP), Garwah and Investigating Officers (IOs), today offered unconditional apology to the court accept Mr Irshad Ahmed, Deputy Suprintendent of Police (DSP) CID.

The court directed Mr Ahmad to get his apology filed by November 27, saying otherwise it would be constrained to issue non bailable warrant against him.

Mr Shahi, in the past few months has been in news, and Chief Minister Madhu Koda also asserted in a press conference that he would be inducted into the cabinet as all the arrest warrants had been withdrawn.

That forced the court to intervence and several clarification from the investigating officers. The court wanted to know why the IOs withdrew the warrant that had been issued by a Garhwa district court.

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