A court in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district will hear on June 2 the bail plea of a man arrested with firearms by the Special Task Force in connection with the murder of Chandranath Rath, an associate of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, prosecution officials said on Saturday.
Bail Application Details
According to news agency PTI, district government counsel Sanjeev Singh said 35-year-old Naveen Kumar Singh had filed the bail application before the court of District Judge Anil Kumar Jha after a lower court rejected his plea. The matter is scheduled to be heard on June 2.
Arrest and Background
Naveen Singh was arrested by the STF last Wednesday after the agency received inputs from the CBI, which is probing Rath's murder on May 6 in West Bengal. According to police, an FIR was registered at the Phephna police station under Sections 3, 7, 25 and 27 of the Arms Act based on a complaint filed by STF inspector Anil Kumar Singh of the Varanasi unit.
Police said the CBI had informed the STF that Naveen Singh, a resident of Thamhanpura village under the Phephna police station area, was allegedly in possession of firearms linked to the case. Acting on the information, an STF team reached Ballia on May 19 and later arrested him near Vishunipur.
Interrogation Findings
During interrogation, Naveen Singh allegedly told investigators that Gyannendra Pratap Singh alias Mannu met him on May 7 along with Raj Kumar Singh and Golu Singh, who had arrived in a Swift Dzire car. He claimed Mannu later handed him a bag containing firearms at Sheetal Davni village under the Bansdih Road police station area.
Recovery of Weapons
Police said the STF recovered three pistols, two revolvers, 45 live cartridges, three empty shells and a mobile phone from a bag found near a Mahindra showroom along the national highway.
CBI's Legal Moves
Senior prosecution officer P N Swami said the CBI had moved an application before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Shailesh Kumar Pandey on Thursday, seeking custody of the seized weapons to send them for forensic examination. However, the court rejected the plea, following which the agency began preparing a revision petition against the order, prosecution sources said.
Sources in the prosecution department also said the CBI is preparing to seek Naveen Singh's transit remand to take him to Kolkata for further investigation.
Search for Absconding Accused
Meanwhile, the CBI continues raids to trace absconding accused Mannu and Golu Singh, officials said. Police sources said Mannu remains absconding, while his family members have allegedly locked their house in the Bansdih Road area and fled.
