A court in Kushingar today issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi in a 24-year-old case.
The court directed the police to attach Shahi's property for his failure to appear before it in a case filed against him in 1994.
Shahi has not appeared before the court since 2007.
The case against Shahi was filed under section 35 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code at Kasya police station in 1994 based on a complaint lodged by Land Revenue Department employee Chandrika Singh.
The trial began in 2004 and Shahi, now MLA from Pathardeva assembly constituency in Deoria, appeared before the court till May 2007. In the past 11 years, however, he has not appeared for any hearing.
Hearing the case, additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Chandra Mohan Chaturvedi said the minister's non-appearance was a serious offence and ordered Kushinagar police to attach his property.
The minister was not immediately available for comment.
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