B.B. Mohanti: Shielded

Bhubaneswar, May 24: Additional director-general of police Bidya Bhushan Mohanti can breathe easy.

In a reprieve to the Orissa top cop, a court in Jaipur today refused the Rajasthan Police a non-bailable warrant for arrest of Mohanti, who is accused of helping his son Bitihotra Mohanti, convicted of raping a German national, jump parole.

A senior police official in Jaipur said the court of additional chief judicial magistrate Rajendra Bansal advised them to go ahead and arrest Mohanti instead of waiting for a non-bailable warrant.

For the last three days the Rajasthan police has been doing the rounds of the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court in Jaipur to get a NBW against Mohanti.

The Supreme Court’s six-week deadline for the top cop to surrender before the chief judicial magistrate’s court had ended on May 21.

The apex court had also ordered that Mohanti be not arrested till that date.

Orissa home secretary T.K. Mishra said he hasn’t seen the court order, but would abide by the decision, whatever it is.

In Cuttack, a visibly relieved Mohanti said he would wait for the outcome of his petition before the Rajasthan High Court.

Early this week, Mohanti had moved Rajasthan High Court under section 482 of CrPC for a stay on the proceedings arising out of FIR registered against him by the Rajasthan police at Lal Kothi police station.

The police in Jaipur had recorded an FIR against Mohanti under sections 120(b), 130, 225 and 216 of IPC on January 10 for alleged conspiracy to help his son jump parole.

The Rajasthan government filed an affidavit to drop section 130 of IPC (abetting a state prisoner or prisoner of war) against him.

Senior police officials said under the changed circumstances it would be difficult for the Rajasthan police to lay their hands on Mohanti.

“It is unlikely that they will arrest him. But even if they come, they will need the permission of the state government to arrest Mohanti. At the same time Mohanti will have no problem in procuring bail as the charges against him are bailable,” said a police officer at the state headquarters.

Mohanti said he would make every effort of getting his son to surrender before law, but confessed that he has no idea where he is.