Thaindian News

Jodhpur, Nov 11 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Friday submitted its status report on the probe conducted so far into the case of missing nurse Bhanwari Devi before the Rajasthan High Court with a request that it not be made public.

The division bench of judges Govind Mathur and N.K. Jain was Friday hearing a petition filed by Amarchand, the husband of Bhanwari Devi.

CBI submitted the status report in a sealed envelope and requested the court that it should not be made public as investigations were still on. The CBI had Thursday quizzed sacked state minister Mahipal Maderana for over six hours here over his alleged role in the disappearance of the nurse.

CBI also requested the court for assigning to them a team of Rajasthan police headed by a deputy inspector general (DIG) of police-rank officer to help trace the missing nurse or her body.

But the division bench advised the CBI to approach the state government for the same. The court said, it can only interfere if the state government does not pay heed to the CBI’s request.

The court has fixed Nov 14 as the next date of hearing.

The status report also came a day after a CD was telecast on some news channels showing the nurse and Maderana in a compromising position.

The high court had asked the agency to submit the investigation report in the case.

The court had earlier told police to make ‘more serious efforts’ in searching for Bhanwari Devi.

The additional chief judicial magistrate in Jodhpur Sep 24 directed police to include Maderana as an accused and probe his role under sections 376 (rape), 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

Bhanwari Devi has remained absent from duty since Aug 25. A missing person complaint was lodged by her husband Sep 1. The complaint was then turned into a kidnapping case.