Patna, May 20: The Patna High Court today asked senior BJP MLA Ramadhar Singh, who had to resign as state Cooperative Minister, to surrender as he has been declared an absconder by a court in Aurangabad district 16 years ago. Justice Shailesh Kumar Sinha, while hearing the application filed by Singh seeking quashing of the subordinate court's order, said the matter relates to 1995 and, therefore, the petitioner, who quit yesterday, is being directed to surrender before the court below.
The petitioner would give prior information to the state and the appropriate lower court about the date of his surrender and the lower court would examine about the process and dispose of the matter the same day, justice Sinha ruled. Earlier, appearing on behalf of Singh, advocate Ajay Thakur pleaded that the order of court declaring him as absconder in the case lodged in 1992 is quashed. He argued that no summons, bailable or non-bailable warrants of arrested had been served on his client (Singh) in the instant case.
The moment his client came to know about the fact that he had been declared absconder by a court way back in 1995, he decided to approach the high court for relief, Thakur said. Singh had resigned as Cooperative Minister yesterday a day after the RJD petitioned Governor Devanand Konwar seeking dismissal of the minister in the wake of the lower court's order.
Singh had maintained he resigned after he got the court records and related documents and found that he was declared an absconder in a case in May 1995 by a court in Aurangabad district.
Singh was declared an absconder by a court in May 1995 after he repeatedly failed to appear before it in connection with the case Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today slammed the RJD for raising a hue and cry over the Ramadhar Singh issue and said law would take its own course in the matter.
“Singh on coming to know about the fact has resigned...a few more ministers, including Jitan Ram Manjhi, also resigned previously,” Kumar said affirming law would take its own course.
There should be complete transparency in the application of good governance and ending corruption, Kumar asserted. Pointing out that RJD had ruled Bihar up to 2005, Kumar said, “As far as Ramadhar Singh is concerned, the court had declared him absconder in May 1995. What was the erstwhile RJD government doing since then?”
“What prevented the erstwhile RJD government to act against Singh though the BJP MLA was not only attending public functions but also attending the proceedings of the state assembly during the period,” he said.
“It is just a mistake in the system,” Kumar pointed out. PTI
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