14 days judicial custody for Debu Malik

Chandannagore, July 7 (UNI) Debu Malik, the prime accused in the Tapasi Malik murder case, was today remanded in 14 day judicial custody by a sub-divisional court.

Moving a bail petition, defence counsel Kishore Mukherjee asked Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Pradip Banerjee to declare null and void the whole process of polygraph test that the accused underwent in New Delhi.

He said Malik was forced to undergo the test and the CBI kept him in dark about the whole process.

Arguing that it was beyond the jurisdiction of the lower court to grant bail to a murder accused, CBI lawyer Partho Tapaswi said there should be no question of rejecting the results of polygraph test, which did not have any evidential value but were used to assist the investigation.

Hearing both sides, the ACJM ordered judicial remand of Debu Malik till July 21.

Earlier, police lathicharged a mob of SUCI and Trinamool Congress supporters, who were demonstrating in front of the court when the accused was being taken inside by a five-member team of CBI officials, led by investigation officer P S Basu.

The CBI had also arrested Singur Zonal Committee Secretary of the CPI(M) Suhrid Dutta and Dibakar Malik, a CPI (M) supporter in this connection.

The central agency had been conducting prolonged grilling of seven more people in connection with the Tapasi Malik murder case.

The charred body of 18-year-old Tapasi, an activist of the anti-land acquisition movement, was found inside the project area of Tata Motors.

UNI