bhopal

Updated: Feb 26, 2016 20:34 IST

A court in Bhopal ordered issuance of non bailable arrest warrant against Congress national general secretary and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh in the Vidhan Sabha secretariat recruitment scam case on Friday.

The court of additional sessions judge (first) Kashinath Singh passed the order for issuing the NBW against Singh for not appearing before the court in the case.

According to the government prosecutor Anand Tiwari, supplementary charge sheets were submitted in the court in the case against eight accused, including the former MP chief minister.

Singh, however, didn’t appear before the court, but instead moved an application through his counsel, seeking more time to appear in the case, as he was preoccupied with the Prantiya Anusuchit Jatiya Samellan being organised by him in Ujjain on Friday. The government counsel objected to Singh’s plea and instead contended that the Congress leader should move a bail application.

Hearing the objections by the prosecution, the judge dismissed Singh’s plea and instead ordered issuance of the NBW against the former CM, the government counsel informed.

Singh is likely to appear before the court in the case on Saturday. The next hearing in the case, however, is slated for March 14.

The Jehagirabad police had booked Singh, Tiwari and others for forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy and misuse of office last year for alleged irregularities in recruitment in the Vidhan Sabha secretariat between 1993 and 2003. Digvijaya Singh was chief minister during the period.