Orissa DGP B B Mohanty gets reprieve from arrest

Cuttack, Jan 16 (UNI) Orissa High Court today granted interim protection to Director General of Police (Home Guard and Fire Services) B B Mohanty from being arrested by the Rajasthan police till the week beginning February five.

Mr Justice L.K.Mohapatra who heard the anticipatory bail of Mr Mohanty in a jam packed court room, called for the case diary from the Rajasthan court which has issued warrant against the DGP in the case of jumping of parole by his son Biti convicted in Alwar rape case.

He ordered that Mr Mohanty could not be arrested till the beginning of the week on February 5 when the case would be taken up further.

The Additional District Magistrate of Jaipur had issued a warrant of attachment against Mr Mohanty and directed Orissa Chief Secretary to attach his property if he failed to deposit the surety bond of Rs 50,000 within 15 days.

The warrant had been issued against the DGP for aiding his son Biti jump parole as he had signed the surety bonds for his son saying the latter be allowed to visit his ailing mother in Orissa.

The Rajasthan police also lodged FIR against Mr Mohanty under section 130,216 and 120 of the IPC for harbouring his son, a prisoner to escape and abetting a person committing crime.

Mr Mohanty's counsels Senior Advocate Jagannath Pattnaik and Debashis Panda who had moved the anticipatory bail, argued that the cases against their client were not made out and Mr Mohanty has been cooperating the Rajasthan police which has in the past searched his house and also that of the relatives to trace Biti.

They further submitted that since the DGP has replied to the show cause no case should be made out against him and prayed the court to grant him interim protection from arrest by the Rajsthan police.

Biti was sentenced to seven years jail by the first track court at Alwar for raping a German woman and was lodged in the central Jail at Jaipur.

He was granted parole and was supposed to report the Jail on December 4 but he failed to do so and went on missing. His father, on the other hand, maintained that he was not aware of the whereabouts of his son as he did not turn up to see his ailing mother.

Rajasthan police last month arrived at Cuttack and raided a few places to trace Biti but returned empty handed.

DGP B.B.Mohanty also claimed that he had not got his son released on parole and maintained that so far he had not received any communication from any authority about release of his son.

UNI