JODHPUR: Two weeks after the Supreme Court issued bail to an accused Parasram Bishnoi in the Bhanwari Devi abduction and murder case, the Rajasthan High Court Tuesday granted the relief to 6 more accused.
The same order of the apex court in the case of Bishnoi became the ground to bail for these six accused also.
With this, eight of the 17 accused in the case are out on bail including Reshmaram.
A decision on the bail application of one of the main accused Mahipal Maderna, however, could not be taken on Tuesday.
He is currently out on interim bail for treatment.
He also had moved bail plea but the court will take it up for hearing on August 23.
The arguments in the Supreme Court by Parasram's counsel Mahesh Jethmalani formed the base of all these bails.
It may be noted that Jethmalani had argued in the court that the trail had started after four years of filing of the case and Bishnoi had been under judicial custody since 2012.
He had further argued that the evidence related to him has already been completed by the court and nothing has been left on his part, which could prevent him from granting of bail.
"On the same ground, we argued that they have served over 9 years in judicial custody with no clue about conclusion of trial of the case," said one of the counsels for petitioners Sanjay Bishnoi .
Admitting the arguments, Justice Dinesh Mehta granted bail to all the six accused while listing the plea by Maderna for hearing on August 23.
Other accused currently under judicial custody include former Congress MLA Malkhan Singh Bishnoi and his sister Indra Bishnoi, Bishnaram Bishnoi, Kailash Jakhar, Shahabuddin, Amarchand (husband of Bhanwari Devi) and two others.
They also are likely to file bail applications anytime soon considering the order by the apex court followed by the high court allowing the bail applications.
Bhanwari Devi, who was posted as Auxiliary Nurse Midwife at a sub centre in Jaliwara village here had gone missing in September 2011.
Her husband Amarchand, who was later found to be involved in the case, had alleged that she was abducted at the behest of Mahipal Maderna, who at that time was the state water resources minister in the Congress government.
When the CD of Maderna with Bhanwari came out in public domain, Maderna was sacked by chief minister Ashok Gehlot and later, on December 2, 2012, he was arrested by the CBI.