MP High Court issues notice to BJP’s MLA Pathak:Court questions how multiple cases were registered against jailed accused while hearing history-sheeter Abdul Razzak’s petition

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued a notice to BJP MLA Sanjay Pathak, directing that it be served through the Assembly Secretary after earlier attempts failed. The order came during Monday’s hearing on a petition filed by Jabalpur-based notorious criminal Abdul Razzak, who is currently lodged in jail. Notice not received at MLA’s residence, says petitioner During the hearing, Razzak’s counsel submitted that the notice previously sent to the MLA’s residence could not be delivered as no one accepted it. The court was informed that a similar notice had also been issued earlier on 31 October based on Razzak’s allegations. Taking note of the situation, a division bench of Justice Vivek Agrawal and Justice Ramkumar Chaubey directed that the notice be served through the Assembly Secretary. The next hearing is scheduled for 15 December. Razzak’s allegation: Action driven by MLA’s influence In the previous hearing, Abdul Razzak had directly accused MLA Sanjay Pathak of initiating legal action against him due to commercial rivalry. He claimed that the cases filed against him were politically motivated and carried out at the behest of the former cabinet minister. Court questions police: How were cases registered while accused was in jail? On 29 October, the High Court sharply questioned the police administration regarding the registration of multiple criminal cases against Razzak while he has been in jail since August 2021. The court asked why the MLA, whom Razzak had accused, had not been named as a party in the case, and expressed concern over how separate police stations managed to file cases against someone already in custody. Petitioner alleges state harassment under political pressure Senior advocates Mohammad Ali, Shariq Aqeel Farooqui, and Amit Raizada, appearing for Razzak, argued that their client was being continuously harassed under pressure from the MLA. They submitted that final reports have not been filed in several cases against Razzak. Each time he secures bail in one case, the police show his arrest in another pending case—an act the advocates described as a manipulation of judicial process.