Bhanwari Devi trial to begin from April 20

The trial of Bhanwari Devi abduction and murder case would begin in a local here from April 20. The ST/SC court gave this date after pleas from both the sides. All the 13 accused (except Pukhraj, Dinesh, Reshmaram and absconding Indira) were produced in the court today after the committal of the case from the CBI court.

After the court expressed its wish to start the trial, the counsels of both the sides requested the court to defer the trial till April 20. They argued that the chargesheet of the remaining accused is to be filed yet so the trail of all the accused could be initiated together.

Admitting the pleas, the court listed the matter for trial on April 20. Sohan Lal, Shahbuddin, Balia, Mahipal, Malkhan, Parasram, Sahiram, Umesharam, Amarchand, Bishnaram, Ashok, Omprakash and Kailash were produced in the court today.

All the accused except absconding Indira Bishnoi, who is the sister of ruling party MLA Malkhan Singh, are behind bars for their alleged involvement in the case. Bhanwari Devi, 36, had gone missing from Jodhpur's Bilara area on September one last year following which her husband Amarchand, who is now in jail, 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 and Congress MLA Malkhan Singh in December last year for their alleged involvement in the case. 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.