HC rejects JMM MLA Sita Soren's anticipatory bail petition

Jharkhand High Court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of JMM MLA Sita Soren today, three days after it directed the police to arrest her by May 6 in connection with an assault case.
Justice R R Prasad rejected both the anticipatory bail and criminal miscellaneous petitions filed by Sita, the daughter-in-law of JMM supremo Shibu Soren.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice P C Tatia on April 15 had directed the police to arrest Sita by May 6. The police on April 2 had sought time till April 15 to arrest her.
Sita, the widow of Soren's eldest son, is accused of assaulting her former private secretary "for being a witness in horse trading during Rajya Sabha election last year".

The Election Commission had countermanded the RS polls in two seats in Jharkhand in the wake of allegations of horse trading and seizure of Rs 2.15 crore in cash.
The money had been seized from a car owned by the brother of an Rajya Sabha independent candidate, hours before the start of RS polling here on March 31.

The CBI had taken charge of the investigation later and conducted raids in the premises of at least 23 MLAs, including Sita's.
The elections were held afresh on May 3 and the then ruling BJP faced embarrassment as their candidate S S Ahluwalia came third in the polls in which Congress and JMM bagged the two seats.

Earlier on March 14, a CBI court had rejected Sita's anticipatory bail application.