UP minister jailed for contempt of court

GORAKHPUR: A local court in Sant Kabir Nagar remanded Uttar Pradesh minister of state for food and civil supplies Laxmikant alias Pappu Nishad in 14 days’ judicial custody on Friday, holding him guilty of contempt of a court order. The court of the additional chief judicial magistrate passed this order and denied bail to Nishad in connection with an assault case of 2006.

A local court in Sant Kabir Nagar remanded Uttar Pradesh minister of state for food and civil supplies Laxmikant alias Pappu Nishad in 14 days’ judicial custody on Friday, holding him guilty of contempt of a court order.

The court of the additional chief judicial magistrate passed this order and denied bail to Nishad in connection with an assault case of 2006.

The Allahabad high court had asked him to appear before the lower court in connection with the case in which he was accused of thrashing a woman in connection with a land dispute.

The minister did not appear before the court earlier despite issuance of a warrant and, later, a non-bailable warrant against him.

He moved the high court seeking exemption from personal appearance. The high court directed him to appear before the local court within 15 days, but the minister appeared in court after expiry of the deadline on Friday.

Treating this as contempt, the court of the ACJM sent him to judicial custody.

The case was lodged in 2006 against the minister by Chadmati, a resident of Belhar Kala, alleging that he had beaten her and issued life threats to her.

Nishad ‘s lawyer Krishna Chand Srivastav said the minister had approached the Allahabad high court, which had ordered him to surrender in the lower court within 15 days.

The minister too is a resident of Belhar Kala in Bakhira area.