After getting relief from the court in one case, the BJP’s Baghmara MLA Dhullu Mahto, who is accused in over 33 cases related to demand for extortion, attempt to murder and under the SC/ST atrocities Act, on Tuesday received a setback in two other cases as the court of the first class judicial magistrate Sangeeta rejected his bail plea in two cases.

One case was related to the forcible usurpation of land of his distant relative Doman Mahto, as well as attacks on him in April 2019 in Chitahi village of Baghmara, where both Dhullu and the complainant live.

The other case is related to rioting and criminal intimidation, as alleged by Baghmara resident Rajeev Srivastava, again in a land related dispute in July 2019. Rajeev happens to be the nephew of the former mines minister of the undivided Bihar era, O.P. Lal.

Doman filed the case in february 2020 and Rajeev in March 2020.

A panel of lawyers led by senior advocate S.N. Mukherjee, Radheyshyam Goswami and N.K. Savita pleaded in favour of Dhullu Mahto while additional public prosecutor Soni Kumari opposed the bail plea. The court finally rejected the bail plea after hearing both sides of the argument.

Police had raided Dhullu’s home in Chitahi on February 19 in connection with Doman case. Dhullu finally surrendered in court on May 11.