Reprieve for Yogi: UP govt refuses sanction to prosecute him

The chief secretary had been asked to appear in person today by a May 7 order by a division bench.

In a reprieve for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh government has refused to grant sanction for prosecution in connection with a ten year old communal riots case.

The riots in Gorakhpur in January 2007 were sparked allegedly after a provocative speech by Adityanath, it has been alleged. He was arrested and remained in jail for 10 days before getting bail from a court. An affidavit stating that sanction has been "refused" for prosecuting Yogi Adityanath in the case was filed before the high court by Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar.

The sanction is needed to file a chargesheet against Yogi Adityanath under IPC Section 153-A on the charge of promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and caste.

The chief secretary had been asked to appear in person today by a May 7 order by a division bench comprising justices Ramesh Sinha and Umesh Chandra Srivastava. In his affidavit, Bhatnagar also stated that the CB-CID, which has been investigating the case registered in connection with the riots, has proposed to submit its closure report and it will be submitted before the trial court.

OneIndia News