PANCHKULA: A Panchkula court on Wednesday dismissed the anticipatory bail application of newly-elected Himachal Pradesh Congress MLA Ram Kumar Chaudhary, wanted by the Haryana police for questioning over the murder of his election campaign's finance manager Jyoti Rani, who also happens to be a dalit.
Chaudhary is missing for the past one week. He was last seen on December 20, the day of the election results. But soon the police, tracing Jyoti's call records, found the two were in regular touch with each other in days preceding her murder on November 22. Considering the 24-year-old Jyoti worked for him, this in itself wasn't surprising. But the police was acting on a complaint by her father, Buti Ram, that he suspected Chaudhary had a role in his daughter's murder.
The MLA was missing for Virbhadra Singh's swearing in ceremony as well. Additional district and sessions judge Sanjay Sandhir dismissed Chaudhary's bail plea and accepted the police's argument that his custodial interrogation was required.
Chaudhary's counsel AS Sukhija argued that the police had no concrete evidence and submitted that his client was ready to join the investigations to clarify the suspicion raised by the police if granted anticipatory bail. But the court dismissed the petition.
Jyoti's postmortem report said she died of head injuries and had undergone an abortion a few weeks ago. There was also an attempt to run her body over with a vehicle in perhaps an attempt to disfigure her - a bid that failed.
Buti Ram also stated that Chaudhary had visited his house for the marriage of his younger daughter in September 2009. Chaudhary won on Congress ticket from Doon in Baddi adjoining Haryana, and is also the general secretary of Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee. He is also the son of a four-time Congress MLA, Lajja Ram.
Reacting to the court's move, HP Congress vice president Hash Mahajan said, "If he has done anything wrong, the law will take its own course."
Panchkula police has raided various places in Baddi, Shimla and Punjab in search of Chaudhary. After the dismissal of his bail plea there was speculation that he would surrender before the police but he did not turn up until late in the evening.
Himachal Congress MLA’s anticipatory bail rejected
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Himachal Congress MLA’s anticipatory bail rejected
