Prime accused moves court, says she’s mentally ill

JODHPUR: In a fresh twist to the Bhanwari Devi murder saga, the counsel for prime accused Indra Bishnoi Monday moved an application in a local court stating that his client was mentally ill and should be screened for such illness before being remanded in the CBI custody.

Farjan Ali, the counsel, also moved two other applications before the court of the Jodhpur assistant chief metropolitan magistrate --- one challenging the CBI demandforIndra’s custodyand thesecond seekingpermission to meet her during the custody.

Indra was arrested Friday from Nemawar area of Dewas district in Madhya Pradesh, six years after Bhanwari Devi was abducted and murdered in 2011.

Hearing the three pleas, the court called for case diary of the murder case and deferred the hearing on the applications seeking screening for mental health and challenging her custody to CBI till Tuesday.

The court, however, decided on the third application and allowed Indra’s lawyers to meet her in the CBI custody.

Earlier, Indra’s counsel contended that she was under treatment for mental illness for a long time. The CBI did not get her screened for mental illness before seeking her remand, the counsel told the court. He also contended that there was no need to send her in custody as the CBI had already filed three charge sheets and the case was sub-judice.

Special public prosecutor Ezaz Khan, however, said that custodial interrogation of the accused was necessary.