Pappu Yadav granted bail in a 3-decade-old forgery case, to remain in custody in another case
Patna (PTI): The MP/MLA court here on Tuesday granted bail to independent MP Pappu Yadav in a three-decade-old forgery case.
Yadav was arrested on Friday evening at his residence by Patna Police after a warrant was issued against him by the court in connection with a 1995 case lodged under Section 467 (forgery of documents) of the IPC. He was admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) due to illness the next morning.
Advocate Shivnandan Bharti, who appeared for the MP, told reporters: "Pappu Yadav has been granted bail in the 1995 case. However, he will remain in custody, as another case was filed on the same day at the Buddha Colony police station for allegedly obstructing police work."
He claimed that the police "conspired" to file a case accusing him of obstructing their work while he had "offered himself for arrest after seeing the warrant".
The advocate said that the MP himself raised certain questions before the court during the hearing.
An ACJM court on Saturday ordered that Pappu Yadav be kept at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) under judicial custody for two days before the hearing for bail application, originally scheduled for Monday.
However, his bail plea could not be taken up on Monday as judicial work in the court was suspended following a bomb threat.
"Pappu Yadav highlighted that although the court had ordered to keep him in PMCH till the hearing scheduled on Monday, he was discharged and sent to jail on Sunday without proper treatment," Bharti said.
He also claimed that the MP was kept in the general ward on a stretcher initially as no beds were available, and that no "food arrangements were made at night."
Bharti added, "Pappu Yadav ji broke into tears during court proceedings, not because he had to face difficulties there at the hospital, but because he saw that not a single person was getting proper treatment (at the hospital)."
People were living in extreme scarcity of services and a state of chaos at PMCH, he claimed.
The lawyer also charged officials with misbehaving with his client.
The advocate claimed that the court took the matter seriously and said that action will be taken against the officials concerned.
Bharti said that the hearing in the case in which Pappu Yadav is accused of obstructing the police will take place on Wednesday.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
K'taka bypolls: Bagalkot records 43.75 per cent turnout till 1 pm, 37.17 pc in Davanagere South
Bengaluru (PTI): At least 43.75 per cent of voters in Karnataka's Bagalkot, where polling for a by-election is underway, exercised their franchise by 1 pm on Thursday.
Davanagere South recorded a turnout of 37.17 per cent, the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office said.
The bypolls were necessitated due to the demise of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti (Bagalkot) and Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Davanagere South).
While the ruling Congress faces the challenge of retaining both seats, the BJP is aiming to wrest them and deliver a setback to its rival, which is currently witnessing an "internal power struggle" over leadership.
A total of over 2.59 lakh eligible voters are expected to cast their votes at around 319 polling stations in Bagalkot, where nine candidates are in the fray.
In Davanagere South, over 2.31 lakh eligible voters are expected to vote across 284 polling stations, with 25 candidates contesting.
The BJP has fielded former MLA and 2023 defeated candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot, and a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.
The Congress has given tickets to family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. Bagalkot candidate Umesh Meti is the son of H Y Meti, while Samarth Mallikarjun from Davanagere South is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Samarth's father, S S Mallikarjun, is a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet and in charge of Davanagere district, while his mother, Prabha Mallikarjun, is a Member of Parliament from the region.
The BJP is looking to make gains in the bypolls and energise its cadre ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. For the Congress, retaining both seats is crucial, as a loss could be seen as a negative verdict on the performance of the Siddaramaiah-led government.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, H Y Meti defeated BJP's Charantimath by a margin of 5,878 votes in Bagalkot, while Shivashankarappa defeated BJP's B G Ajay Kumar by 27,888 votes in Davanagere South.
