CUTTACK: Amid speculation that a team of police officials from Rajasthan is arriving in Cuttack to arrest senior IPS officer B.B. Mahanti, the DGP rank officer attended his office here as usual on Tuesday, even as the Supreme Court's order protecting him from arrest ended on Monday.

The Rajasthan police is also learnt to have moved a Jaipur court on Tuesday seeking non-bailable arrest warrant against the senior IPS officer and his son Bitihotra who has jumped parole.

Meanwhile, it is learnt from his counsel Ashok Mohanty here that the DGP, in a fresh writ petition, has moved the Rajasthan High Court on Monday seeking to quash the proceedings arising out of the FIR filed against him by the Rajasthan government. He has moved the Rajasthan High Court by a Jaipur-based lawyer.

Protection sought

Seeking protection under Article 226 of the Constitution, Mahanti has urged the Rajasthan High Court to quash the criminal cases registered against him at a Rajasthan police station in December last year. The criminal cases were filed in connection with `disappearance' of his son Bitihotra who jumped parole on December 4, 2006 while serving a seven-year jail term in Jaipur for raping a German tourist.

He had earlier made a similar petition in the Orissa High Court in February where his counsels had vociferously argued to quash the FIR against the senior IPS officer. His counsels had stated that the ingredients of the offences made out against Mahanti have not been fulfilled in the FIR. The same petition is yet to be disposed off by the Orissa High Court.

The charges

The senior IPS officer, who had earlier defied two summon notices of Rajasthan police and was insulated from arrest by two separate orders from Orissa High Court and Supreme Court of India, is facing criminal charges for offences committed under Section 120, 130 and 216 of IPC for allegedly aiding, abetting and harbouring his son.

He had allegedly stood as a surety with a bail bond of Rs. 50,000 to take his son on parole.

Mahanti, however, denied the charges levelled against him by the Rajasthan police stating that at no point of time he visited Jaipur in November last to take his son on parole.

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