Court in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, declared former Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) MP and actor Jaya Prada an “absconder” in connection with two cases involving election code violations. The court issued arrest orders, directing her to appear on March 6 after she failed to attend court despite multiple summonses and non-bailable warrants.
The cases are related to alleged breaches of the Model Code of Conduct during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, with registrations made at Kemari and Swar police stations. Despite repeated summonses, Jaya Prada, the former MP, did not attend the special MP-MLA court, resulting in seven non-bailable warrants being issued against her, yet law enforcement couldn’t bring her before the court.
Jaya Prada, who ran as the BJP candidate from Rampur in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, lost to Azam Khan of the Samajwadi Party. Previously elected to the Lok Sabha from Rampur in 2004 and 2009 on a Samajwadi Party ticket, she was subsequently expelled from the party.
In response to the court’s declaration, the police revealed that Jaya Prada was avoiding arrest, and all her known mobile numbers were switched off. Consequently, under Section 82 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the court declared her an absconder.