Bhanwari Devi's husband Amarchand, one of the accused in her abduction and murder case, on Tuesday sought to retract his statement to magistrate, saying it was made under the compulsion of the CBI.
Amarchand, who is named in the charge-sheet filed by the CBI last month, in his application before the CBI court in Jodhpur, said that he had given his statement under Section 164 of the CrPC after the agency compelled him to do so.
His counsel Muktesh Maheshwari had produced two applications, one for the retraction and the other for proper medical care, before the CBI court here.
40-year-old Amarchand has been booked under section 120 B, 364 and 201 of the IPC.
Besides Amarchand, other accused in the case namely -- sacked minister Mahipal Maderna, Congress MLA Malkhan Singh, Sahiram, Parasram, Umesharam, Bishnaram, Kailash, Ashok, Omprakash, Dinesh, Reshmaram and Pukhraj -- were produced before the court today which extended their judicial custody till March 27.
36-year-old Bhanwari, who was an auxiliary nurse, had gone missing from Jodhpur's Bilara area on September 1 last year following which Amarchand had filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court.
After the state government ordered a CBI probe into the case, the agency arrested Mahipal Maderna on December 2 and Congress MLA Malkhan Singh on December 19 for their alleged involvement in the case.
During the CBI probe, it was found that she was allegedly abducted and killed and her body burnt at Jaloda. Her remains and belongings were later dumped in the Rajiv Gandhi Lift Canal, which were recovered by the CBI.
{{/usCountry}}During the CBI probe, it was found that she was allegedly abducted and killed and her body burnt at Jaloda. Her remains and belongings were later dumped in the Rajiv Gandhi Lift Canal, which were recovered by the CBI.
{{/usCountry}}Soon after her death, a sleaze CD was circulated allegedly featuring Maderna and Bhanwari.
Maderna was removed by chief minister Ashok Gehlot from his ministry in October after his name cropped up in the case.
Agency sources had said that Maderna and Malkhan Singh were being blackmailed by Bhanwari Devi who was allegedly having relations with them and threatened to expose them which led to her killing.