CUTTACK: The court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, Cuttack, Deepankar Bal, dealing with cases against MPs and MLAs, on Monday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against MP Anubhav Mohanty in a case of cruelty and insulting modesty of a woman brought by his wife Varsha Priyadarshini in December 2020, prior to their divorce.
On December 21, 2023, the Orissa High Court had ruled against the Family Court order and held that Anubhav Mohanty is entitled to get a decree of divorce in his favour. Anubhav is the BJD MP from Kendrapada Lok Sabha constituency who joined BJP on April 1. Assistant public prosecutor (APP) Afroz Ahmed said, “The special court issued the NBW and directed the inspector-in-charge of Purighat police station to execute it taking serious note of continued absence of Anubhav Mohanty from hearing for framing of charges in the case.
”The trial court directed for production of Anubhav before it by the police on May 23, the date fixed for framing of charges against the actor-turned-politician. Initially, Anubhav was summoned by the court to appear before it on May 10. 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”, the APP said.
Earlier, Anubhav had filed a discharge petition on the ground that he has been falsely implicated and there is no material evidence. However, the special court had rejected it after the prosecution objected to a mini-trial at this stage and submitted that the investigating officer had made out a prima facie case with sufficient evidence and witnesses.
Purighat police station had registered the case on a complaint lodged by Varsha alleging 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 on December 19, 2020. After probe, police had filed a chargesheet naming Anubhav Mohanty as prime accused in the case under sections 509 (insulting modesty of woman), 498 A (cruelty), 341 (wrongful restraint), 294 (use of obscene language) and 506 (criminal intimidation) on December 18, 2023.
The court of SDJM, Cuttack, then took cognisance of the case on December 20, 2023 and sent it for framing of charges by special court for MPs and MLAs.