CBI arrests former Bihar MP Pappu Yadav (Lead, Changing dateline)

NEW DELHI/GURGAON - The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Monday arrested former Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav from a private hospital in Haryana’s Gurgaon district, neighbouring the national capital.

Yadav was arrested following an apex court order in May cancelling his bail, granted while he was serving life term for a murder, and directing him to surrender before a court in Bihar’s capital Patna.

Yadav was sentenced to life imprisonment along with two others — Rajan Tiwari and Anil Kumar Yadav — for the murder of Ajit Sarkar, a former legislator of Communist Party of India-Marxist.

He was awarded life imprisonment by an additional sessions judge in Patna in February 2008.

Four days later he was granted bail by the Patna High court.

The investigating agency opposed his bail in the Supreme Court. The apex court cancelled the bail in May and issued directions to arrest Yadav.

Since then Yadav, had been evading arrest on one ground or the other. A review petition was also filed by Yadav in his defence before the apex court, which was dismissed May 5.

“He was admitted to Artemis Hospital in Gurgaon on Saturday. The CBI team reached the hospital on Monday morning and after taking clearance from hospital (authorities) he was brought out of the hospital at around 3 p.m.,” a CBI source said.

Yadav was later produced in a Gurgaon court which granted the CBI permission to present him before a court in Patna.

“I wanted to surrender and informed the DIG (deputy inspector general of police), Bihar, about my presence in hospital. My operation was due on Monday,” Pappu Yadav told reporters while coming out from hospital.

“I will take court permission for the operation now,” Yadav added. Yadav’s father is admitted in Sir Ganga Ram hospital in Delhi where he is reported to be critical.

Sarkar was killed May 14, 1998 while he was returning after addressing a meeting of the party workers in Purnea district in Bihar.

Bihar police registered a case against Yadav and four others and filed a chargesheet in the matter Aug 19, 1998.

The case was taken over by the CBI on the request of Bihar Government.

Investigations disclosed that accused Yadav had political rivalry with Sarkar due to which he entered into a criminal conspiracy with co-accused Harish Choudhary, Rajan Tiwari, Amar Yadav and Anil Kumar Yadav to kill him.