Arms Act case: Former Bihar minister Manju Verma moves SC for anticipatory bail

Manju Verma’s counsel told the court on Tuesday that the former Bihar minister had filed the anticipatory bail petition soon after the police initiated the process to declare the former social welfare minister a “proclaimed offender” for evading arrest in an Arms Act case.

Facing arrest in an Arms Act case, former Bihar minister and Janata Dal (United) MLA from Cheria-Bariarpur assembly, Kumari Manju Verma, has filed an anticipatory bail petition in the Supreme Court.

Former Bihar Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma, who is facing arrest in an Arms Act case, has applied for anticipatory bail in the Supreme Court .(PTI File)

Manju Verma’s counsel Satya Narayan Mahto told the court of additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) Prabhat Trivedi at Manjhaul in Begusarai district on Tuesday that she had filed the anticipatory bail petition soon after the police initiated the process to declare the former social welfare minister a “proclaimed offender” for evading arrest.

She had to resign as minister on August 8 after reports suggested close links between her husband Chandrashekhar Verma and Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual horror case prime accused Brajesh Thakur.

Manju Verma and her husband were booked in an Arms Act case, which was lodged after recovery of a huge cache of ammunitions from her residence during a raid by sleuths of the CBI, which is probing the Muzaffarpur shelter home case.

For declaring an accused a proclaimed offender, a court entitles the police to paste a legal notice on walls of the residence of accused, asking him or her to surrender before the court within a stipulated period, failing which the property of the accused is liable to be confiscated and auctioned.

The Begusarai police had on Tuesday filed a petition before the court of the ACJM, seeking proclamation/property attachment warrant against Manju Verma. Thereafter, Mahto appeared before the court and informed it that his client was not evading arrest but only following the due process of law to get relief against arrest. He argued that the former minister was not an absconder and had approached the top court for relief after the Patna high court had turned down her anticipatory bail plea on October 9.

Additional public prosecutor Ritesh Kumar said the court of ACJM had reserved its order due on ManjuVerma’s petition.

The SC had pulled up the Bihar government on October 30 for not arresting Manju Verma despite dismissal of her anticipatory bail plea by the high court. The Begusarai court subsequently issued an arrest warrant against her on October 31.

Her husband had surrendered before the Manjhaul court on October 29, four days after the top court had asked the Bihar government and the CBI to explain why there was a delay in tracing him.