Patna, Bihar – Independent MP from Bihar, Rajesh Ranjan, popularly known as Pappu Yadav, was arrested by state police on Friday in connection with a criminal case dating back to 1995. The arrest followed dramatic scenes at his residence in Patna. Yadav alleges that the arrest is a result of political targeting due to his criticism of the Nitish Kumar-led government, particularly regarding its handling of a recent NEET aspirant's death case.
The case against Yadav dates back to 1995 and involves allegations of fraudulently renting a house in Patna's Gardanibagh area to use as his office. The house owner, Vinod Bihari Lal, filed the case, claiming that Yadav misrepresented the purpose of the rental. Lal alleged that Yadav used the property as his office without disclosing this information when renting it.
The charges against Pappu Yadav include sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 448 (house-trespass), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Officials stated the arrest was made because Yadav failed to appear in the MP/MLA court on a scheduled date. The court had previously issued a non-bailable warrant against Yadav and later issued an order to attach his properties after he failed to appear in court despite multiple summons.
According to police sources, the case was registered under the old Indian Penal Code (IPC), which has since been replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Yadav initially resisted the arrest, arguing that the police only presented a warrant for property attachment, not an arrest warrant. He stated his intention to appear before the court voluntarily on Saturday. A large number of his supporters gathered outside his residence, hindering the arrest and leading to arguments with the police.
Rajesh Ranjan, born on December 24, 1967, has had a long and controversial political career, marked by periods of both electoral success and legal troubles. He has been elected to the Lok Sabha six times, representing various constituencies in Bihar. He has been associated with multiple parties, including the Samajwadi Party, Lok Janshakti Party, and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). In 2015, he formed his own party, Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik), which later merged with the Indian National Congress (INC) in March 2024.
Yadav's career has been shadowed by criminal allegations. As of his 2019 election affidavit, he had 31 pending cases against him, which increased to 41 in 2024. In the past, Yadav was convicted in 2008 in connection with the Ajit Sarkar murder case of 1998 but was later acquitted in 2013 by the Patna High Court. The CBI has filed an appeal challenging his acquittal in the Supreme Court. In May 2021, Yadav was arrested for violating COVID-19 norms and in connection with a kidnapping case. Yadav has often claimed that the charges against him are the result of political vendettas.