RAIPUR: Bharatiya Janata Party official candidate for Bhanupratappur by-election Brahmanand Netam on Monday got relief from High Court of Jharkhand, which ordered not to take any coercive action against him. BJP welcomes the relief.

An hour before the polling was to end for the Bhanupratappur by-election, Jharkhand police team reached Kilepal polling booth where BJP candidate Brahmanand Netam was present. Police urged him to cooperate in the investigation and tried to take him to Kanker.

But BJP party workers and villagers registering to protest, covered the police from all sides. Meanwhile, as news spread, BJP by-poll incharge Brijmohan Agrawal and MLA Shivratan Sharma took him in their custody, stating that he had got relief from High Court.

Kanker Superintendent of Police Shalabh Kumar Sinha told that Netam was being taken in custody for interrogation as part of investigation. He was to be brought to Kanker for questioning.

Netam informed the police that he had got relief from the High Court, Jharkhand. But Jharkhand police urged him to cooperate to complete the legal formalities. As the protest turned high pitch, the team had to complete the formalities on the spot, he said.

Jharkhand Police is awaiting orders from higher authorities for further action in the case, he added.

Netam’s counsel Kumar Harsh said that a petition was filed before the High Court of Jharkhand. Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi has given relief to the petitioner Brahmanand Netam in Telcom P.S. Case N. 84/2019. The order states that no coercive steps will be taken till the next date. The next date of hearing is on January 16, 2023.

Leader of Opposition Narayan Chandel said the relief to Netam is a moral defeat of the Congress. Congress party during election had painted him as a rapist but the High Court order has proved that truth can be troubled but not defeated.

BJP spokesperson Rajesh Munat said the Congress party had hatched a conspiracy to assassinate the character of the BJP candidate, so that it could gain electoral advantage by misleading the public. BJP has time and again said that allegations against Netam have not been proven.