Sakshi Maharaj, BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao constituency, has been declared an absconder by a special CBI court after he failed to appear for a trial.
The move came in the wake of Sakshi Maharaj’s continued absence for the trial he is facing in the Babri Masjid demolition case.
The court fixed July 26 for the next hearing.
Sakshi Maharaj’s lawyers told the court on Monday that he will be present in the court on Saturday as he was busy with Parliament’s budget session in New Delhi.
“We have spoken to our client on phone and he has assured that he will appear in the court Saturday,” his counsel told Special Judge Shashi Mauli Tiwari, who refused to pay heed to the explanation.
The court earlier issued an arrest warrant against Sakshi Maharaj, considered close to former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh.
Sakshi Maharaj’s name, with other senior BJP leaders, figured in a First Information Report (FIR) filed in Ayodhya on Dec 2, 1992. While 49 people were named as accused for the demolition of the mosque, 13 were acquitted of the charges at the primary stages.
The CBI has challenged their acquittal in the Supreme Court and the case is pending.
