Patna, April 28: Journalist Navlesh Pathak, an accused in Purnea BJP MLA Rajkishore Keshari murder case, got reprieve from the Special CBI Court, Patna, today.

Special judge B.N. Singh allowed his criminal revision petition, paving the way for his release on bail. Earlier, the special CBI judicial magistrate rejected the regular bail petition of Navlesh on April 8.

The defence counsel then filed a criminal revision petition on April 13 in the court of district and sessions judge, Patna. The court transferred the petition the same day to the special CBI court for hearing.

Navlesh’s counsel Ravindra Griyaghey had pleaded in the criminal revision petition before the CBI court that the accused had been in jail since January 7, 2011.

The counsel informed the court that 90 days have passed since Navlesh’s arrest but CBI had not filed any chargesheet against him till date.

The counsel pleaded that after passing 90 days in judicial custody, an accused can be granted mandatory bail. Junior counsel of Navlesh, Tarkeshwar Nath Singh, told the court that the order passed by the lower court is unjustified and against the provision of law.

CBI counsel had opposed the criminal revision petition, pleading that judicial custody of Navlesh should be counted from April 4 as the CBI got his custody on that day and 90 days have not passed since then.