Patna HC rejects Ritlal’s plea for temporary release to campaign

Patna: The Patna high court on Friday dismissed a plea filed by RJD legislator Ritlal Yadav seeking temporary release from Bhagalpur prison to campaign for himself from the Danapur assembly seat.

Yadav is contesting the upcoming Bihar assembly election from Danapur on the RJD’s ticket.A single bench of Justice Arun Kumar Jha dismissed the criminal writ application, observing that Yadav could approach the MP/MLA court concerned to seek provisional bail for the purpose of electoral campaigning.Yadav, who has a history of multiple criminal cases, is currently lodged in Bhagalpur Central Jail in connection with a case registered at Khagaul police station on charges of extortion and organised land-grabbing.Senior counsels Yogesh Chandra Verma and Priyanka Singh, appearing for Yadav, argued that their client should be allowed to campaign for the polls, the first phase of which is scheduled for Nov 6. Verma contended that Yadav is not a convicted criminal and remains a sitting legislator. “By virtue of being a people's representative, Ritlal has a legal right to participate in the democratic process,” Verma said.Opposing the petition, advocate general P K Shahi said Yadav had provided vague information about his criminal background, stating that a total of 39 criminal cases, including one of murder, had been filed against him. Shahi further argued that the right to campaign is not an absolute right under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and therefore cannot be the basis for his release.