HC refuses pre-arrest bail to fugitive Puri servitors

The Orissa High Court today refused to grant anticipatory bail to Sri Jagannath Temple servitors who have been declared 'absconders' by Puri Police.
The police had declared the servitors absconders after they were booked for their alleged involvement in assaulting journalists, threatening the District Collector and misbehaving with a woman police officer during the Niladri Bije rituals of the Jagannath temple deities in last month.
Deciding on merit after a prolonged hearing, Justice S K Mishra refused to grant relief to Damodar Mahasuar, Jayakrushna Mahasuar and Saina Khuntia after the government counsel argued that the absconding accused should not be granted bail at this stage.

Unable to trace the servitors, the police have started legal procedures to attach their property after proclaiming them absconders and pasting their photographs in public places, the government counsel said.
Puri Police had earlier this month declared eight accused servitors as absconders. While all of them had approached the high court seeking advance bail, four had withdrawn their petition last week after the court refused to grant anticipatory bail to one Bhimsen Palankadhari.
Earlier, the police had booked at least 20 servitors in all the three cases registered and had arrested 12 of them.