Wednesday, December 22 2004 15:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: The Patna High Court today (Dec 22, 2004) asked three cellular phone operators in Bihar to appear before the Supreme Court as the case related to RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav making calls to VVIPs from a mobile phone seized from him from Beur central jail has been transferred to the Apex Court.

A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Nagendra Rai and Justice S N Hussain issued the directive to the cellular phone operators in the light of a recent Supreme Court order.

The Supreme Court had on December 15 transferred to it the Patna High Court proceedings in which notices were issued to the cellular phone companies to get details of calls made by Yadav to VVIPs from Beur central jail, where he was lodged after his bail in Ajit Sarkar murder case was cancelled.

The High Court was hearing a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) of the Indian Medical Association (Bihar) seeking security for the doctors across the State who, the association claimed, were being targeted by the criminals for extortion.

The Court also directed the Director General of Police (DGP) Narayan Mishra not to take any coercive action against the journalist of local Hindi daily Vikash Bihari Singh for writing the story of the then Bettiah SP Parasnath denying security to a Government doctor Rajan Deoshil who had received extortion demand of Rs 2 lakh from a criminal Manoj Mishra lodged in Bettiah jail.

The DGP, who appeared in person, told the court that all the directives of the court had been strictly complied with. The Government had shifted Parasnath to Aurangabad as SP and Aurangabad SP M R Nayak replaced him in Bettiah.