Bihar: Court issues NBW against 11 Nepalese Maoists

A Bihar court issued fresh non-bailable warrants of arrest against 11 Nepali Maoist leaders who include 2 politburo members and six lawmakers on Thursday for their alleged involvement in anti-India activities.

Additional district and sessions judge Bashishtha Narayan Singh ordered issue of the arrest warrants against them on the prayer of Patna police.

Singh asked senior superintendent of police Alok Kumar to ensure execution of the warrants against the 11 Maoists.    

They were arrested in 2004 from here for alleged anti-India activities, but had jumped bail and are now said to be in Nepal. They have not even gone on trial for various charges against them, including waging war against India.

But their "conviction" has been sought to be scrapped by Nepal government and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai had on Tuesday urged Indian Ambassador Jayant Prasad to ensure that Indian government annul the "verdict" against the Maoists.

The matter was also raised in Nepalese Parliament where members had claimed that the Maoists had been convicted by Patna high court. The court had on August 14 asked the Maoists, facing charges like waging or attempting to wage war against India, sedition and criminal conspiracy, to appear before the court on September 20.

The Maoist leaders who were issued warrants include Chit Bahadur, Lokendra Thapa, Sonam alias Kul Bahadur, K R Dahal, Hit Bahadur, Anil Shang, Dilip Mahajan, Min Prasad Apago, Ranju Thapa, Shyam Kishore Yadav and Suman Thwang.

They were arrested from a hotel in Patna on May 2, 2004 for alleged involvement in anti-India activities, including colluding with the Indian Maoists, and were put in Beur jail for over two years. They were later released on bail in September 2006.

Since then they have jumped bail and have not appeared in the court in response to the non-bailable warrants.

The Court had earlier on December 11, 2006 cancelled the bail granted by the Patna High Court following their successive failure to turn up for attendance and initiation of trial after framing of charges.

They have been chargsheeted under sections 121 (waging or attempting to wage war of abetting waging of war, against the Government of India), 121(a) (conspiracy to commit offences punishable under section 121, 120 (a) (criminal conspiracy), 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war), 124 (a) (sedition) of Indian Penal Code, Criminal Amendment Act (17).