A Raipur court on Friday rejected the bail applications of two suspected Maoists whose release was allegedly part of a deal for the release of Collector Alex Paul Menon. While the petition for bail to Meena Chaudhary had been filed on Thursday, that for Malti alias Shantipriya Reddy was filed on Friday. The government counsel did not oppose either of the petitions, saying he had been directed in “public interest”.