CBI court rejects bail pleas of Maderna, Malkhan

The pleas of members of Legislative Assembly Mahipal Maderna and Malkhan Singh Bishnoi, arrested for their alleged role in the Bhanwari Devi murder case, seeking bail to attend the Rajasthan Assembly session was on Friday rejected by a Central Bureau of Investigation court.

The court, without commenting on merits of the case, observed that the duo is accused of conspiring to abduct and murder Bhanwari Devi and to cause disappearance of evidence after the murder.

"Considering the seriousness of the accusations on the applicants, the court does not deem it justified to grant interim bail to them and hence their application is rejected," Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Jagdish Jyani said.

The counsel for both the legislators said they would challenge the ACJM's order in a higher court. Maderna and Bishnoi had sought interim bails for 60 and 40 days respectively to attend the state assembly session, beginning February 27.

Maderna also sought bail on the grounds of illness of his father Paras Ram, who, he said, is currently undergoing treatment at the ICU of Sawai Madho Singh Hospital in Jaipur.

The Rajasthan high court, meanwhile, on Friday issued notices to the CBI, the tehsildar and the district magistrate seeking their replies to the plea of Malkhan Singh' mother Amri Devi against attachment of her properties.

Justice R S Chouhan, while admitting the plea of Devi, ordered the three parties to reply by March 6.

In her petition, Devi had said that apart from the property under the sole possession of Indra, she did not have share in any other property of the family and the division of the property attached as her share in the ancestral property, has never been done in her name.