CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Thursday stayed the execution of a non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against Kendrapara MP Anubhav Mohanty in a case of cruelty and insulting the modesty of woman brought by his wife Varsha Priyadarshini in December 2020, prior to their divorce.
Anubhav had moved the high court for the cancellation of the NBW against him in the case. Senior advocate Pitambar Acharya argued on behalf of Anubhav, who joined the BJP on April 1.
While issuing the interim order, the single judge bench of Justice BP Routray directed that the execution of the NBW ordered on May 13 for the production of Anubhav shall remain stayed till the next date of hearing on July 8, 2024.
The court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, Cuttack, dealing with cases against MPs and MLAs, had directed the inspector-in-charge of Purighat police station to execute the non-bailable arrest warrant by May 23. Initially, Anubhav was summoned by the trial court to appear before it on May 10 for framing of charges in the criminal proceedings arising out of the complaint lodged by Varsha. The framing of charges was deferred to May 13 as Anubhav moved a time petition on that day. But when a time-petition was again moved by his counsel on Monday the trial court issued the NBW.
On December 19, 2020, the Purighat police station had registered the case on the complaint in which Varsha had alleged that Anubhav and his two aides Sujit Dalei and Khagendra Prasad Sahoo had locked her up in a room in his house at Nandi Sahi in Cuttack.