Court in Agra issues non-bailable warrant against former Union minister

Agra: A special court has issued a non-bailable warrant against former Union minister and Etawah MP Ram Shankar Katheria after he failed to appear before it in connection with a rail blockade case registered against him and his party colleagues in 2010.

On October 26, Uma Kant Jindal, special judge designated to hear cases against MPs and MLAs, directed senior superintendent of police (SSP) Agra to ensure that Ram Shankar Katheria is present in court on November 13, as he has not presented himself in the case for long.

Katheria is also chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.

Devender Singh, counsel representing Katheria, said, “Out of six cases lodged between 2010 and 2016, Katheria has been served NBWs in two cases. The former Union minister was booked in 2010 by Agra Cantonment GRP and Sadar police for staging protest demanding a bench of Allahabad high court in Agra. He along with the scores of other party workers had allegedly halted train operation while staging protest on railway track.”

The GRP had registered the case under section 146,147,174 Indian Railways Act.

Speaking to TOI, Katheria said, “I got the information about NBW on Tuesday. I will present myself in the court.”

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the court also issued NBW against Agra South assembly constituency BJP MLA Yogendra Upadhyay, Katheria’s personal assistant Anil Chaudhary and BJP leader Manoj Rijora for not appearing in 2010 train operation blockade case.