Rajasthan HC grants bail to ex-Cong MLA

Jodhpur: The Rajasthan High Court has granted bail to Malkhan Singh Bishnoi, a former Congress MLA and one of the main accused in the Bhanwari Devi abduction and murder case, while deferring the bail plea of other accused till August 23.

A single judge bench of justice Dinesh Mehta accepted the bail application of Malkhan Bishnoi on Tuesday.

With this, nine of the 17 accused in the case have been granted bail, while main accused, former minister Mahipal Maderna is out on interim bail on health grounds.

The Supreme Court had granted bail to one of the accused in the case, Parasram Bishnoi last month on the grounds that it has been around 10

years and the trial was nowhere near completion.

Citing the order of the apex court, Malkhan Bishnoi's counsel argued that the trial of the case has taken a long time and that the accused has already served 10 years in judicial custody.

Maderna's bail plea is also pending before the high court, which will come up for hearing on August 23 along with that of some other accused.