Former Odisha Law Minister Raghunath Mohanty’s son Rajashree, who was arrested on Saturday night on charges of dowry harassment, was sent to judicial custody on Monday. Surprisingly, no bail plea on behalf of the accused was applied in the court.

Rajashree was produced in Balasore SDJM court on Monday. The Human Rights Protection Cell (HRPC) team had arrested him near Cuttack for allegedly torturing his wife Barsha Soni Chaudhury for dowry of Rs 25 lakh and a Scorpio SUV.

Following the allegations by Barsha, Minister Raghunath Mohanty had to resign from council of minister. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had ordered the HRPC to probe the matter.

The arrest of Rajashree has brought cheer for Barsha and her family. They also want to see other accused (Rajashree’s father Raghunath Mohanty, mother Pritilata, sister and brother-in-law) behind bars.

A five-member team of HRPC on Saturday had started investigation into the case from Barsha Soni’s house with recording statements of the complainant and her parents. The team had conducted several raids at Basta and other areas in Balasore in search of Rajashree.