Maharajganj court orders notice to Yogi Adityanath in 19-year-old firing case

It is alleged that both group clashed and constable Satya Prakash died in the crossfire. Prakash was part of then Samajwadi Party women’s wing leader Talat Aziz’s security detail.

Aziz got an FIR lodged against Adityanath and around 50 unidentified associates of his on various charges, including murder and attempt to murder at the Kotwali police station in Maharajganj, stated prosecution.

“A cross-FIR too was filed into the matter against me and others on different charges including attempt to murder,” said Aziz, who is now with the Congress. “A few days later, the state government transferred the investigation of Crime Branch-CID which filed its closure report on June 27, 2000 on the ground that it could not confirm who had fired. The agency later filed a closure report in the cross-FIR too.”

Aziz challenged the closure report against Adityanath in 2003 but when the local court accepted the report in March this year, Aziz approached the Allahabad High Court, which forwarded the matter to the District Judge Court of Maharajganj in August.

“Accordingly, Talat Aziz filed revision in the court of District Judge, Maharajganj on August 20. On August 24, court ordered to issue notice to Yogi Aditya Nath and fixed September 20 as next date of hearing. The court on September 20 again directed for issuing the notice to Yogi Adityanath. The court has fixed October 27 as next date for hearing,” said Maharajganj government counsel Jai Singh Yadav.

Meanwhile, the CB-CID had filed a closure report in the FIR against Aziz too and was accepted by the local court, said Aziz, and this too has been challenged and will be heard on October 5.