Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur court on Tuesday declared former MP and actor Jaya Prada an "absconder" in connection with two cases of election code violations during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The court directed the police to arrest her and present her before it on March 6.
Senior prosecution officer Amarnath Tiwari disclosed that two cases were lodged against Jaya Prada, the former MP from Rampur, at Kemari and Swar police stations for allegedly breaching the Model Code of Conduct during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
"Former MP and actor Jaya Prada, against whom election code violation cases were registered in 2019, has been declared absconder in the case under section 82 of CrPC. The court has ordered action under section 82 of CrPC against her," Amarnath Tiwari, Senior prosecution officer, MP/MLA Court said.
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Despite multiple summons issued by the special MP-MLA court, Jaya Prada failed to appear for hearings. The court subsequently issued non-bailable warrants against her on seven occasions, but law enforcement authorities were unable to produce her before the court.
According to Mr. Tiwari, the police informed the court that Jaya Prada was evading arrest, as all her known mobile numbers were switched off.
In response to this evasion, Judge Shobhit Bansal took a firm stance and declared Jaya Prada an absconder. The Superintendent of Police of Rampur was instructed to assemble a team led by a circle officer to apprehend her and ensure her presence in court for the upcoming hearing on March 6.
Jaya Prada, who contested as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Rampur in the 2019 polls, faced defeat by Azam Khan of the Samajwadi Party. Notably, she had been elected to the Lok Sabha from Rampur in 2004 and 2009 on a Samajwadi Party ticket before being expelled from the party.