A local court in Uttar Pradesh has acquitted Union Minister of State for Law and Justice S.P. Singh Baghel in a seven-year-old case related to violation of Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
Besides Baghel, the special MP-MLA court of Agra on Tuesday also acquitted former MP Prabhudayal Katheria, former MLA Rampratap Singh and nine others due to lack of evidence.
The case dates back to April 8, 2016, when Etmadpur Police Station in Agra had registered a case against Baghel and others over defiance of a notice issued to them.
As per the case, one vegetable trader Narottam Baghel, resident of Etmadpur, was allegedly assaulted and made to drink urine by former Samajwadi Party city president Muslim Khan, his four brothers and father on April 5, 2016. Police arrested Muslim Khan and his brother and sent them to jail. Section 144 was imposed after the incident.
Baghel had announced to hold a mahapanchayat against the incident.
The Uttar Pradesh Police then issued notice to Baghel and other leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for staging a sit-in at the tehsil demanding action against the accused on April 8, 2016. Police initiated proceedings against 11 people, including the three leaders.
The court on Tuesday observed that the prosecution could not call any independent witnesses to prove its charge, nor was such a witness named in the charge sheet.
Moreover, the plaintiff in the above-mentioned case has passed away and the court found inconsistencies in the statements of all prosecution witnesses, it noted.