Guwahati, April 9: Borkhola legislator Rumi Nath today moved Gauhati High Court for anticipatory bail following the arrest of her estranged second husband Jacky Jakir and her personal security officer (PSO) Bedabrata Borpatragohain on Tuesday for their alleged links with kingpin of a vehicle-lifting racket Anil Chauhan.
The court, however, reserved its order today.
Her anticipatory bail plea was moved by senior advocate S.S. Dey, who argued at length before the single-judge bench of Justice Indira Shah for granting interim bail to Nath. Public prosecutor Z. Kamar opposed the bail plea stating that granting anticipatory bail to the MLA by the court without going into the case diary would send a wrong message.
Nath, in her bail petition, stated that since she is an MLA, many people come to meet her but in no# way was she Chauhan's partner in crime.
Her two rented residences at Itkhola and Rongpur in Silchar remained locked since Tuesday, the day Jakir was arrested from his residence at Mohakol in Karimganj. Her father Troilokhya Bushan Nath declined to make any comment about his daughter's alleged links with Chauhan.
According to sources, Nath had left Silchar for Guwahati with her friend Hirak Paul on Tuesday. Apprehending trouble after Jakir's arrest, Nath is not staying at her MLA quarters in Dispur since yesterday.
The names of the former Patharkandi MLA Kartik Sena Sinha and Karimganj Trinamul leader Ikbal Hussain have come up in this case.
Sources said Jakir revealed their names before the interrogators, saying both of them allegedly have links with Chauhan.
Sources said Nath and Jakir were introduced to Chauhan by the Trinamul leader at Kailasahar in Tripura in 2013.
Jakir got involved in the vehicle-theft business as he first bought a stolen Hyosung motorcycle, the cost of which in the Indian market is between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 6.3 lakh, from Chauhan and then sold it to a boy from Badarpur for Rs 50,000.
Soon after Jakir's link with Chauhan came to light, the boy returned the motorcycle to Jakir at his residence at Mohakol.
A police source said they suspect that Chauhan had paid a huge amount of money to the duo for "political protection." The matter is under investigation.
In another development, a team of Karimganj police, led by the officer in-charge of Patharkandi police station R.P. Singh, today searched the official residence of former Assam minister and Congress MLA from South Karimganj constituency Siddique Ahmed in Dispur on the strength of a roving warrant issued against him by the court of the chief judicial magistrate of Karimganj on Tuesday in connection with a 2011 case in which he was accused of beating up one Rejaul Karim.
Ahmed, however, was not present when the police searched his residence. Ahmed lodged a complaint before Gauhati High Court on Wednesday, accusing the Karimganj additional chief judicial magistrate Shah Syed Ahadur Rehman of harassment by breaching guidelines.
The Karimganj court has reportedly issued four orders in 20 days. But, according to the guidelines, the second order can be issued after 14 days from the issuance of the first order. Ahmed urged the high court to extend time for appearing before the Karimganj court up to April 23, citing ill health.
Additional reporting by Nilotpal Bhattacharjee
