UP minister Rakesh Sachan held guilty of ballast theft, absconds from court after verdict

The BJP was left red faced in Uttar Pradesh after Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Rakesh Sachan was on Saturday held guilty of ballast theft by a district court in Kanpur.

The minister, who was present in the court, suddenly left the court a few minutes before the judgement and was said to be untraceable, according to sources. The court of additional chief metropolitan magistrate (ACMM) has reserved its judgement on the quantum of punishment. Unconfirmed reports said that he left the court in a huff immediately after the verdict.

According to sources, the case of ballast theft had been registered against Sachan about 35 years ago, when he was a contractor with the Railways in Kanpur. The stolen ballast was later recovered.

Sachan, an influential Kurmi leader, had joined the BJP after quitting Congress days before the recently-concluded Assembly polls in UP. He was later fielded by the saffron party from Bhognipur Assembly seat in Kanpur Dehat district. He was later inducted into the ministry in an apparent bid to placate the electorally-influential Kurmi community.

While the state BJP leaders here refrained from commenting on the matter, saying that they had no knowledge of the court verdict, the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) sought to know from UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath if he would raze the house of the guilty BJP lawmaker.

"Cabinet minister in BJP government Rakesh Sachan held guilty in ballast theft....fled from court after hearing the verdict....Yogiji should now say when he will get the house of the ministry demolished by bulldozer," said the SP in a tweet.

Police sources here said that the police officials in Kanpur were trying to ascertain the facts in the matter. "We have seen the reports in this regard and are trying to ascertain the facts," said a senior police official in Kanpur