Baghmara MLA Dhullu Mahto on Saturday failed to get any relief from the court in connection with the rape case lodged against him by a former member of local BJP unit’s women’s wing.

While hearing the anticipatory bail plea filed by Dhullu’s lawyer Jitendra Kumar Rai, the court of additional district and sessions judge Rajeev Kumar Sinha refused to grant the MLA exemption from arrest till the next hearing date.

The court gave police 10 days to submit the case diary on the next date of hearing.

The statement of the woman who had accused Dhullu of sexual assault was recorded on February 15 before the court of sub-divisional judicial magistrate Shikha Agarwal.

On February 20, the court of principal district and sessions judge of Dhanbad, Basant Kumar Goswami, transferred the case to the additional district and sessions judge Sinha.

On the same day, Goswami granted anticipatory bail to Dhullu in connection with a rioting case dating back to April 2018 in Akashkinari colliery area of Katras.

On February 19, Dhanbad police landed at the MLA’s residence at Chitahi in Baghmara block in connection with an attempt-to-murder case filed by Doman Mahto at Barora police station on February 14 this year. Subsequently, police have raided several other places across the district and outside, but Dhullu is yet to be arrested.

The woman plantiff had in her online complaint filed on November 23, 2018, claimed Dhullu had called her on her mobile phone on November 15 the same year and asked her to meet him at the guest house of Hindustan Zinc factory in Baghmara a week later.

She claimed that when she went there, he tried to grab her in the presence of BJP Katras unit worker Anand Sharma but she somehow escaped and told her husband about the incident.

Dhanbad police on October 6, 2019, lodged an FIR against Dhullu after the woman moved high court alleging that the police were delaying the FIR.