Ashok Todi being led to the police van at Bankshal Court on Monday afternoon. He pleaded with his lawyers to ensure that he was not put in a cell with criminals. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Fourteen months after Rizwanur Rahman was found dead, his father-in-law Ashok Todi was remanded in jail custody for 11 days.

Todi surrendered before the Calcutta Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on Monday, in keeping with a Supreme Court directive.

His bail plea was rejected by the 14th metropolitan magistrate of the special CBI court, Madhumita Roy, who sent him to jail custody till December 12.

The 54-year-old businessman, in a white-and-blue striped shirt and blue trousers with a vermilion dot on his forehead, sat in anxious silence as a hush descended on the jam-packed courtroom at 2.30pm on Monday when the verdict was announced.

Ashok Todi’s daughter Priyanka, 23, had secretly married Rizwanur, 30, on August 18. The Todis allegedly put pressure — through police and politicians — on the young couple to separate.

Days after Priyanka returned to her family on September 8, Rizwanur was found dead on the Patipukur railway tracks.

The CBI on September 27, 2008, filed chargesheets against Ashok Todi, his brother Pradip Todi, a relative Anil Saraogi, policemen Ajoy Kumar, Sukanti Chakraborty and Krishnendu Das, and Syed Mohiuddin, alias Pappu, who was a family friend of the Rahmans.

The seven have been charged with abetting suicide, criminal conspiracy and criminal intimidation. Pradip Todi and Anil Saraogi must surrender before the court on December 12, according to a Supreme Court order. Ashok Todi will be in Presidency jail till then.

“The faith of the common man in the judiciary has been vindicated. It is a big day for us as Ashok Todi was the prime accused in my brother’s death case. We are waiting for the court to convict all the accused,” said Rukbanur Rahman, Rizwan’s elder brother.

Pappu, who has been behind bars since October 31, was produced in the magistrate’s court on Monday and remanded in custody till December 3. The countdown for the three cops is on with a hearing in the Supreme Court on December 5.

On Monday, Ashok Todi’s lawyers based their bail plea on the fact that the summons issued to him had given him the option of being represented in court by his lawyer. Ashok Todi’s failure to turn up had prompted the court to issue non-bailable arrest warrants against him.

There were heated exchanges between rival lawyers, forcing the magistrate to step in.

Advocate Partha Tapaswi, representing the CBI, said: “Since the petitioner is the prime accused in the case, the court should not allow his bail prayer.”

The magistrate rejected the bail plea and sent Todi to jail.