The Rajasthan high court was on Wednesday apprised that Mahipal Maderna and Malkhan Singh Bishnoi, accused in the abduction and murder of nurse Bhanwari Devi, have been shifted from the Jodhpur Central Jail to prisons in Jaipur and Ajmer respectively.
Both of them were taken for their respective destinations on Wednesday morning amidst tight police security from Jodhpur jail, where they had been lodged since December.
The CBI had made a plea to the High Court that both be shifted to other jails of the state citing their attempts to influence the witnesses and other accused in the case which was affecting the investigations.
The court had then asked the government about its stand regarding this plea of the CBI, which, yesterday had apprised the high court that the government would soon be shifting them to other jails of the state separately.
The jail administration had received directions from the director general (Jail) on Monday regarding shifting Maderna to Jaipur jail and Bishnoi to Ajmer jail.
"We intimated the police about this order and asked them to provide additional guards and security for their shifting," A R Niyazi, superintendent of Jodhpur Central Jail, said.
A police official said that we dropped Bishnoi at Ajmer jail enroute and took Maderna to Jaipur jail.
It may be recalled that Maderna was arrested by the CBI on December 2 whereas Bishnoi was arrested on December 19.
After the initial remand to the CBI, both were sent in judicial custody by the CBI court and were lodged in the Jodhpur Central Jail.
With the trial of the case set to start from April 20, they will have to be now ferried to Jodhpur every time from Jaipur and Ajmer.
"Though, it is not required all the time, but still, with an issue of such importance and dates of trial in the notice of all, advance arrangements would be easy to make regarding their appearance in the court. It may also be done through video conferencing," an advocate said.