Mumbai, Aug 6 BJP corporator Akash Purohit has been arrested after a court here rejected his plea seeking cancellation of a non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against him for failing to appear in a 2020 case of a protest over electricity supply in Mumbai.
While Purohit's counsel argued the delay in appearing on Wednesday was due to traffic congestion, the sessions court observed that the accused was deliberately adopting delaying tactics and there was no likelihood of his appearing before the trial court in future if released.
The court declined to recall the NBW, issued for his absence from the scheduled hearing, and remanded him to judicial custody.
Akash Purohit is the son of former Maharashtra minister and prominent BJP leader late Raj Purohit.
The case pertains to a 2020 protest over electricity supply, in which Akash Purohit and 19 others, including Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar and minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, were booked on charges of allegedly wrongfully confining the then Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) general manager and assaulting police personnel.
The investigation officer was scheduled to depose on Wednesday, requiring the presence of the accused for identification. However, the hearing was adjourned after Akash Purohit and some of the other accused failed to appear before the court.
The accused later appeared before the court and sought cancellation of the NBW. While the court allowed similar pleas by some of the other accused, it rejected Purohit's application, leading to his arrest.
The counsel for the accused submitted that they were delayed due to heavy traffic congestion and a large crowd outside the court premises.
Rejecting the plea, the court noted NBWs had been issued against Purohit on earlier occasions as well and that he had previously paid a fine of Rs 2,000 to secure cancellation of such warrants.
Akash Purohit is likely to move the Bombay High Court for bail on Thursday, sources said.
