The Danapur court, which rejected the anticipatory bail petition of Kartik Kumar on Thursday, a day after he resigned from Bihar cabinet, has said in its order that he had hidden key information related to proceedings in the Patna High Court in the abduction case in which he is an accused, according to the public prosecutor in the case.
Kumar, who assumed office as Bihar’s law minister on August 16, is accused of abducting a Patna-based developer in 2014 and the Danapur court had issued an arrest warrant against him.
In the six-page order, additional judicial magistrate Satyanarayan Sherohi said the petitioner’s wife, Ranjana Kumari, had earlier submitted an application before the inspector general of police (Patna zone) claiming that her husband was present in a school at Mokama at the time and date of occurrence of the abduction incident.
“However, police investigation has revealed that Kartik’s mobile location was found near Hem Plaza in Patna, which is close to the site of incident,” the court said, adding that the Patna High Court had, on February 16, 2017, already rejected Kartik’s anticipatory bail petition and directed him to surrender before the lower court.
The HC had asked him to pray for regular bail, to be considered by the lower court in accordance with law, without being prejudiced by its order. “But he disobeyed HC’s order,” additional public prosecutor Mohammad Kalam Anasari said, quoting from the Danapur court’s order.
“All case developments in Patna High Court had been hidden in the petitioner’s bail petition,” he said, quoting from the order.
Kartik Kumar’s counsel Janardhan Rai they would challenge the Danapur court order in the Patna High Court.