A Rampur (UP) court on Wednesday sentenced Union minister of state for minority welfare and parliamentary affairs Muqtar Abbas Naqvi to one year in jail for breaching prohibitory orders during campaigning for the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. Naqvi was then contesting for the Rampur seat on a BJP ticket, a fight that he lost to the Samajwadi Party's Jaya Pradha, even losing his security deposit in the process.

(BJP supporters outside the

Rampur court

.TOI photo by Nazar Abbas)

Read this in Hindi:

केंद्रीय मंत्री मुख्तार अब्बास नकवी गिरफ्तार, एक साल की सजा

NEW DELHI:The court of additional civil judge (senior division) Manish Kumar sentenced Naqvi, along with his 19 supporters, and imposed a fine of Rs 4,000 under sections 143 (rioting), 341 and 342 (wrongful restraint) of the IPC. The court later granted bail to Naqvi, now a Rajya Sabha member, and the others convicted on sureties of Rs 15,000 each.The case relates to an instance of disturbing the peace during 2009 general elections. Sub-inspector Ram Kishan of the Patwai police station had, on April 24 that year, registered an FIR against Naqvi and the others, including a woman BJP leader, Dolly Randhawa, under charges of rioting.The Patwai police had also seized a vehicle that Naqvi’s supporters were using for their campaign. According to the FIR, Naqvi and his supporters had stormed the police station seeking release of the vehicle. A brawl had then occurred between policemen and BJP workers.After a preliminary investigation, a chargesheet was filed in the matter on August 31, 2009 against 23 accused, including Naqvi. The court, on March 15 2010, took cognisance of the chargesheet and signaled commencement of the trial.Defence counsel Shayaam Lal said, “During the trial, one accused, Govind Ram Lodhi, died. The files of three others accused, Raju, Virender Gangwar and Rajendra Pal, were transferred to other courts.”Outside the court, soon after the judgment was pronounced, Naqvi told TOI: “I have received a copy of the judgment and am studying it. We will file an appeal against the judgment before the appellate court soon.” Naqvi added he had full faith in the Constitution and democracy, declining to comment any further.As news spread in Rampur of the conviction, who has earlier represented the constituency in the Lok Sabha, thousands of his supporters gathered outside the court and started shouting slogans in protest.