Pataudi granted bail in hunting case

MAK Pataudi: granted bail © Getty Images

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, the former Indian captain, has been granted bail by a Jhajjar Court in Haryana, after he surrendered on Saturday in connection with a poaching case. According to a PTI report, Pataudi was given bail by Sudhir Jiwan, the chief magistrate, on condition that he provided a personal bond of Rs 50,000.

Pataudi, who was remanded in police custody for two days, was uncontactable for a fortnight after being named a suspect, with seven others, in a hunting incident where a black buck and two rabbits were killed. He surrendered after the high court rejected his request for anticipatory bail.

Jiwan revealed to the Calcutta Telegraph that his wife had received a suspicious call. "A man threatened her saying that `it would be bad for her husband if Pataudi got bail'," he said. "When she asked who it was, the man said it was `none of her business'."

Before escorting Pataudi to court, the Haryana police had to take him to a civil hospital when he complained of uneasiness and chest pains. After being examined by doctors, Pataudi was released and taken on to court.

Meanwhile, Naresh Kadyan, a leading animal-rights activist, said he would approach the court seeking cancellation of the bail, telling reporters that he " would like to first seek legal advice why Pataudi's bail in the high court was rejected and the lower court granted it."

If found guilty, Pataudi faces up to seven years in jail and a fine of Rs 25,000.