Lucknow, Aug 7 It has been a bad weekend for netas in Uttar Pradesh.
At least four politic belonging to different political parties have landed in soup over various cases.
In Gorakhpur, the court of the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) has issued a non bailable warrant against Minister Sanjay Nishad and has directed the police to arrest him and produce him in court by August 10.
The case related to a pro-reservation stir, led by Sanjay Nishad in 2015 that had turned violent and caused extensive damage to police vehicles.
Nishad said that he was not aware of the court order and would gather information form his lawyer and act accordingly.
Another minister, Rakesh Sachan, was pronounced guilty by a court in Kanpur on Saturday. Sachan was convicted in a three-decade-old Arms Acts case, after which the leader "disappeared" from the courtroom "without furnishing bail bonds".
Prosecution officer (PO) Richa Gupta said Sachan left the courtroom soon after his conviction when the court asked the defence counsel to make arguments over the quantum of punishment.
Sachan went away "without furnishing bail bonds" and an FIR will be lodged against him in this regard, Gupta said.
Kanpur Commissioner of Police B.P. Jogdand confirmed to have received a written complaint against Sachan. He, however, did not elaborate on the content of the complaint, saying he has not personally seen it.
The decision to register an FIR against the minister was taken after a marathon meeting with senior judicial officials believing that letting him off without action might land the presiding officer in trouble, the official added.
Sachan later denied the charge of leaving the courtroom in a clandestine manner. Admitting that he had gone to the court for some work, the minister claimed that his case "wasn't listed for the final verdict".
He said his lawyer has moved an application seeking for him exemption from personal appearance. The minister said he will honour the court verdict whatever it may be.
Giving information about the case, Gupta said in 1991, police had recovered an illegal firearm from Rakesh Sachan.
Sachan had joined the BJP after leaving the Congress just before the Assembly polls earlier this year.
Meanwhile, in Varanasi, the MP-MLA court has acquitted BSP MP from Ghosi, Atul Rai, in the case of alleged rape of a 24-year-old woman who, along with her friend and prime witness in the case, had self-immolated in front of the Supreme Court on August 17, 2021 alleging delay in justice.
Both died later.
Rai's lawyer Anuj Yadav said that since Rai has not been granted bail in the cases, including the one lodged in Lucknow, he will remain in jail despite acquittal in this case.
"Evidence produced by the defence was accepted and Rai was acquitted. The prosecution produced nine witnesses while 13 were lined up by the defence side," he added.
Sources said that he was now likely to be tried for abetment to suicide of the girl and the complainant.
In the fourth incident, a court in Jaunpur, convicted seven people, including former Machlishahr MP Umakant Yadav, in the 27-year-old triple murder case.
The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence in the case on August 8.
District government advocate Lal Bahadur Pal said that Jaunpur Additional District Sessions Judge Sharad Chandra Tripathi, after hearing both the sides, considered the accused guilty.
The case relates to February 1995, when constable Ajay Singh, Lallan Singh and another person were killed in firing while rescuing Raj Kumar Yadav, who was lodged in the lockup of the Shahganj Government Railway Police in Jaunpur.
Giving details of the incident, the advocate said that constable Raghunath Singh, posted in Shahganj GRP, had lodged an FIR that in February 1995, armed with rifle, pistol, accused Umakant Yadav came to the GRP post along with his associates.
Umakant forcibly tried to free Raj Kumar Yadav, who was in the lockup. He opened fire and apart from Ajay Singh and Lallan Singh constable, one other was killed in the firing.
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