UP minister who 'disappeared' from court, sentenced to 1-year jail; later gets bail

Rakesh Sachan, a cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath government, was sentenced to one year of imprisonment with a fine of ₹1,500 in an Arms Act case after he surrendered before a court on Monday. He was later granted bail on a bond of ₹50,000. A day ago, police launched a probe into his “disappearance” from the courtroom after his conviction.Two days ago, Sachan was held guilty in an Arms Act case lodged against him on August 13, 1991, for possession of an illegal rifle in the Naubasta area of Kanpur. Soon after, Sachan allegedly run away from the courtroom with a copy of the order.

The additional chief metropolitan magistrate court's reader, Kamini, had filed a complaint with police alleging Sachan had taken away the file while fleeing.The minister while being taken to the court said he was appearing before the court despite not being given any notice, adding the came against him is bogus. “I am doing so because media painted me like an absconder, someone who took away the file. Whatever the court will decide I will abide by it.”He later said, “We respect the court's verdict but we will go in appeal in sessions court against this decision.”On Sunday, police said a "preliminary enquiry" had been launched into Sachan's "disappearance" from the courtroom "without furnishing bail bonds" after being convicted in the case.