UP CM Yogi Adityanath gets notice in a 19-year-old murder case

In a major setback for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Maharajganj session court has issued a notice to him for his alleged involvement in a 19-year-old murder case.

The case dates back to 1999, when Satya Prakash Yadav, a personal security officer of then Samajwadi Party leader Talat Aziz was killed during a protest organised by the party. According to the police report, Yadav was killed during the protest in Maharajganj when a group allegedly led by Adityanath opened fire at the agitators.

“On Feb 10, 1999, I was leading a protest against then BJP government led by Kalyan Singh. We were protesting peacefully. However, a mob led by Yogi came, surrounded us and then opened indiscriminate firing in which Yadav was killed. I survived because I ran and hid in a nearby field,” recalled Aziz.

Talat Aziz later joined the Congress and fought the Assembly election as an SP-Congress candidate in 2017.

According to Aziz, three FIRs were registered in this case – one by Aziz against Yogi who was then Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat in 1999, one by a police inspector, and another by Yogi against Aziz.

Aziz said that she had to fight a long legal battle against Yogi to get him summoned.

She had filed a plea to reopen the case but that was turned down by a Sessions Court in March this year. After that she filed a review petition at the Lucknow High Court, which in turn directed the Sessions Court to reopen the trial.

Acting on the petition filed by Aziz, the Sessions Court in Maharajganj has ordered that a notice be issued to the accused, including Yogi Adityanath and others, for further trial in the case.

The court has also given a week’s time to CM Yogi Adityanath to respond to the notice.

Opposition parties Samajwadi Party and Congress have demanded Adityanath’s immediate resignation as the chief minister, saying that during the trial, victims could be bullied and influenced.

“We all know that our chief minister has some serious charges against him and now even the court has issued a notice to him in the 19-year-old murder case. We demand the immediate resignation of CM Yogi Adityanath as he could influence the trial if it starts and can also harm the victims,” said Samajwadi Party spokesperson Sunil Singh Sajan.

Echoing similar sentiments, UP Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi said, “Both the chief minister and deputy chief minister have cases registered against them and they have been trying to get away by terming these cases as politically motivated. We are thankful to the court for taking action in this case and the notice order.”

“Till the time trial is on, the CM must step down from his post, else the victims can be threatened and influenced. It is a pity that BJP, which has more than 300 MLAs in the Assembly, could not find a person with a clean record for the post of the chief minister,” said Awasthi.