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Court issues non-bailable warrant against Union minister John Barla
A local court in north Bengal’s Cooch Behar district has issued a non-bailable warrant against Union minister John Barla for allegedly holding a political rally without taking proper permission in the run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections
A local court in north Bengal’s Cooch Behar district has issued a non-bailable warrant against Union minister John Barla for allegedly holding a political rally without taking proper permission in the run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Barla, the then BJP candidate from Alipurduar for the general elections, was allegedly present in the rally within Boxirhat police station limits of Tufanganj block-II on April 4, 2019. A complaint was lodged against him for not taking permission to hold the rally, thereby violating the election model code of conduct.
“An election official had lodged a complaint against him and three others at the Boxirhat police station,” said Sanjay Barman, assistant public prosecutor of the Tufanganj sub-divisional judicial magistrate court.
Barla received several summons to be present for hearing but he did not turn up, the court claimed.
The last time Barla was summoned to appear before the Tufanganj sub-divisional judicial magistrate court was on November 15. The court issued a non-bailable warrant against him for his no-show to the summons, personally or through a lawyer.
Adip Bhujel, one of Barla’s personal secretaries, said, “The local police used to inform about the summons.” However, he did not say if the Union minister received those.
Barla is a resident of Laxmipara Tea Garden under Banarhat police station.
Repeated attempts by HT to elicit response from Barla were turned down.
“Barla does not have any lawyer,” one of his personal assistants said.
