Babulal Marandi's aide Sunil Tiwary has moved Jharkhand High Court for bail
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi's close associate Sunil Tiwary has moved the High Court for regular bail in a case of sexual exploitation.
Tiwary was caught in the eye of the storm after a case was registered on August 16 by the survivor who belongs to a Scheduled Tribe.
The underage girl in the FIR accused Tiwary of sexual exploitation and the case was registered for violation of offences under the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST Act.
Tiwary had earlier pleaded for anticipatory bail before the Ranchi district court but it was rejected.
He had then applied for anticipatory bail before the High Court of Jharkhand but was subsequently arrested on September 12.
Tiwary's wife Lalima Tiwary had filed a criminal writ petition in the high court seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the matter. She alleged that her husband has been framed due to political vendetta.
The High Court on Thursday had issued notices to the state chief secretary and the Director General of Police after Tiwary's wife filed the petition seeking a CBI probe into the matter.
The bench of Justice SK Dwivedi also issued a notice to the senior superintendent of police of Ranchi in connection with the case.
Tiwary, a close associate of BJP Legislature Party leader Marandi, was accused of raping his domestic help last year.
In her petition, Lalima Tiwary had claimed that ever since her husband had made statements in the Rupa Tirkey case, he has been targeted by the ruling dispensation. Rupa Tirkey, a sub-inspector of police, had died allegedly by suicide in May at her government accommodation in Jharkhand's Sahebganj.