Thursday, June 30 2005 09:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: After remaining on run for a month, former Patna District Magistrate and senior IAS officer Gautam Goswami today (Jun 30, 2005) gave himself up before the special court in Patna, which remanded him to judicial custody till July 6 in connection with the multi-crore flood-relief scam.

Accompanied by his lawyer, Tuhin Shankar, Goswami who was declared wanted by the vigilance bureau probing the multi-crore fraud, drove to the court in a vehicle this morning and surrendered before the designated vigilance judge Jitendra Mohan Prasad.

Goswami sat quietly on a bench inside the court when Shankar moved an application for accepting surrender of his client.

The vigilance judge Prasad remanded Goswami to judicial custody till July 6. Goswami would be lodged in the high-security Beur jail on the outskirts of the State capital.

Goswami's surrender came a day after the Patna High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail application.

On a plea by Goswami's lawyer for special care of his client in judicial custody as he was an IAS officer, the Vigilance Judge directed the Beur jail authorities to provide facilities to Goswami in accordance with the jail manual and arrange for medicare.

The Special Vigilance Court had rejected Goswami's bail application on June six following which he had approached the HC on June 13.

Goswami, who shot into limelight after 'Time' magazine named him among its Asian heroes, was on the run since the special vigilance court issued non-bailable arrest warrants against him and eight others on May 31 in connection with the Rs 17-crore flood relief scam.