BJP MLA Surrenders After Court Issues Non-Bailable Warrant
In a significant development in Kanpur, Chief Judicial Magistrate Suraj Mishra issued a non-bailable warrant against BJP MLA Surendra Maithani on Thursday. The warrant was issued after the legislator repeatedly failed to appear in court to provide testimony in a 14-year-old road accident case that resulted in the death of an engineer.
Upon learning about the warrant, Maithani promptly surrendered before the court. Following his request, the court cancelled the warrant and directed him to appear for testimony on January 2. The MLA was released after furnishing a personal bond of Rs 20,000 and was ordered to appear whenever summoned until his testimony is completed.
Tragic Accident That Claimed Engineer's Life
The case dates back to February 9, 2011, when engineer Punit Mohan Dhimri lost his life in a tragic road accident. Dhimri, originally a resident of Chamoli in Uttarakhand, was living in a rented house in Gita Nagar at the time of the incident.
The fatal accident occurred when Dhimri was traveling in a tempo en route to fix a faulty BTS at the telephone exchange on Mall Road. A tempo coming from behind hit their vehicle near Benajhabar Akashvani, resulting in Dhimri's instant death. The driver of the offending vehicle fled the scene immediately after the collision.
Investigation and Legal Proceedings
Interestingly, Surendra Maithani, who was a relative of the deceased Dhimri and a resident of Navin Nagar, had initially filed the police report at Swaroop Nagar police station. During the investigation, police arrested tempo driver Mushtaq Ali, a resident of Talaq Mahal in Beconganj.
A chargesheet was filed against Ali, and the case has been pending since then. However, in a surprising turn of events, complainant Maithani himself became subject to court action when he failed to respond to repeated summons to provide his testimony in the long-pending case.
The court's issuance of the non-bailable warrant underscores the judicial system's determination to move forward with the case that has remained unresolved for over a decade. Maithani's eventual surrender and the court's subsequent directions mark a crucial step toward concluding this prolonged legal battle.
