Thane Central Jail authorities have moved a sessions court,seeking permission to handcuff one of the accused in the ‘Matka king’ Suresh Bhagat murder case after he allegedly misbehaved with some jail authorities and boasted that he would soon escape from the jail.
The jail authorities have sought permission to handcuff Harish Mandvekar, accused of taking Rs 70 lakh from Bhagat’s wife Jaya to kill him,whenever he is produced in the court. Mandvekar and other accused in the case,lodged in the jail,are being brought to the Kala Ghoda sessions court almost on a daily basis. “The jail authorities,following his misbehaviour,have moved the application,” a Crime Branch officer privy to the investigation said.
The prosecution case is that Mandvekar had allegedly arranged for co-accused Pravin Shetty to crash a dumper into Bhagat’s SUV in Alibaug on June 13,2008. The Crime Branch had invoked the provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act in the case,citing Mandevkar had more than one chargesheet against him in the past,but the Special MCOCA Court had revoked these charges.
The SC guidelines on custodial rights state that handcuffing is against all norms of decency and can be used a last resort but not a custom. The investigating agency is required to convince the court that the undertrial has a credible tendency for violence and escape.
Besides Bhagat,six more persons were killed after the dumper rammed into the SUV. The police had first booked the driver,but later the Crime Branch alleged that the killing was part of a conspiracy by Jaya and their son Hitesh.
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