(IN): Czech scientists finally released

July 26, 2008

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Czech scientists finally released Express News Service Posted online:

Saturday , July 26, 2008 at 02:36:42

Updated: Saturday , July 26, 2008 at 02:36:42

*Kolkata, July 25* The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM),

Darjeeling, granted bail to Czech scientists Petr Svacha and Emil Kucera on

Friday morning. After spending more than a month in jail, the duo was

finally released late in the evening.

ACJM U K Nandi granted the bail on a condition that the scientists will not

be allowed to leave Darjeeling until further orders. They also need to meet

investigating officers twice a week to complete the probe being conducted by

the district police. Their passports, seized by the forest department

earlier, will not be handed over to them.

Svacha and Kuchera were arrested by the police on June 22 for violating the

Wildlife Protection Act, following complaints lodged by the forest

department. Since then, they were lodged in the Darjeeling jail.

Earlier, the ACJM court had rejected their bail petition.

According to a source in the Darjeeling jail, a Czech embassy official from

Delhi spoke to the scientists over the phone after their release. The jail

authorities also provided them with a vehicle to reach Darjeeling town.

" They left the jail at 6.30 pm, " said a source.

Advocate Taurang Pandit, counsel of the scientists, had moved the bail

petition on July 23.

A spokesman of the Czech embassy in Calcutta said the scientists would give

their full cooperation to investigating officers of the case. " We will move

a petition before the court to relax the conditions of the bail, " he said.

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