Cuttack, April 15: Raghunath Mohanty’s daughter-in-law Barsa Swony Choudhary filed a petition in Orissa High Court today seeking cancellation of bail granted to the former minister and his son Raja Shree.

Mohanty, his wife and son were arrested by the Human Rights Protection Cell of the state police on charges of dowry torture following an FIR by the 23-year-old Barsa. Later, they were granted bail by the court of the sub-divisional judicial magistrate, Balasore, and the court of the district sessions judge there.

Barsa said her husband and father-in-law had begun threatening her and her family members since their release. Some of Mohanty’s supporters also shouted vulgar slogans in front of her house.

The petition, to corroborate her allegation, has cited a case registered at Raibania police station on the basis of a complaint lodged by her paternal uncle, Anup Kumar Choudhary, on April 6.

“Though a case was registered, the police did not take any action against the culprits. Taking advantage of police inaction, the opposite parties (Raghunath Mohanty and Raja Shree), have been threatening the petitioner (Barsa), her family members, and relatives and also witnesses not to adduce any evidence against them,” Barsa said in her petition.

She alleged that her husband and father-in-law “wilfully violated the terms and conditions imposed by the trial court at the time of releasing them on bail”.

Barsa had filed an FIR at Balasore town police station on March 14 against the former minister, his wife, son, daughter and son-in-law for alleged torture for dowry and criminal intimidation. Human Rights Protection Cell sleuths arrested Barsa’s husband Raja Shree on March 17 from near Cuttack, while Raghunath Mohanty and his wife Pritilata Mohanty were arrested from Bengal on March 30.

The court of the district sessions judge, Balasore, had granted Raja Shree bail on April 5. The former minister and his wife were granted bail by the court of sub-divisional judicial magistrate, Balasore, on April 2. Apart a from bail bond of Rs 10,000 with two sureties for the like amount, the sessions judge, Balasore, had granted Raja Shree bail “with condition that he shall maintain peace, shall not tamper or terrorise the prosecution witnesses, shall not indulge in any criminal activities while on bail”.

“The former minister was released on bail by the sub-divisional judicial magistrate, Balasore, with similar conditions,” Barsa’s counsel Kshirod Rout said.

Raghunath Mohanty had resigned from the Naveen Patnaik government on March 15, a day after the FIR was registered by his daughter-in-law against him and other members of his family.