A court in Nagpur on Saturday granted exemption from appearance to BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in a complaint seeking criminal proceedings for non-disclosure of cases against him in his election affidavit.
Chief Judicial Magistrate R.M. Satav posted the matter for hearing on January 24.
The court, however, said, “The accused shall remain present before the court on the next date without fail and no exemption shall be granted on the next date.”
This is the second time Mr. Fadnavis sought exemption from appearing before the court. Mr. Fadnavis’s advocate Uday Dable, on Friday, told the court the former CM was busy in campaigning for and monitoring zilla parishad elections in Maharashtra.
Besides, he was meeting farmers affected by unseasonable rain to take stock of the losses in order to approach the State government for relief, Mr. Dable told court.
The court accepted the statement but said Mr. Fadnavis must remain present on the next date.
The court is hearing a complaint application filed by one Satish Uke seeking initiation of criminal proceedings against Mr. Fadnavis for alleged non-disclosure of two cases registered against him in his 2014 election affidavit. An order of issuance of process (notice) to Mr. Fadnavis was passed on November 4.
