Crime Branch petitions HC for Dara's remand

Crime Branch petitions HC for Dara's remand
PRAKASH RAO

BHUBANESWAR, FEBRUARY 5: The state Crime Branch on Friday filed a petition in the Orissa High Court seeking remand of Dara Singh -- prime accused in the murder of Graham Staines and his sons -- for custodial interrogation, even as the state police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) vie for Dara's custody. The petition is likely to come up for hearing on Monday after a two-day holiday break.

The petition challenged the order of the court of Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), Karanjia, which had remanded Dara Singh to judicial custody till February 8, rejecting the Crime Branch's prayer for 15 days remand in police custody.

The crime branch on Thursday had filed a revision petition in the court of District and Sessions Judge, Baripada, after Dara Singh was shifted from Karanjia sub-jail to Baripada circle jail on February 2. However, it was dismissed by the district court as the matter was not pressed for hearing by the state police.

In its petition, the Crime Branch has stated thatDara Singh should be remanded to police custody for interrogation into several criminal cases and to enable it to file a supplementary chargesheet against the accused.

Meanwhile, a CBI team, headed by joint director M L Sharma, has appealed the SDJM court in Karanjia for Singh's remand against a warrant from the CBI-designated court here. The CBI court had asked the SDJM to produce Dara Singh before it as soon as possible.