Arrest warrant issued against 'absconder' Jaya Prada
What's the story
An MP/MLA court in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, declared former Member of Parliament (MP) and actor Jaya Prada an "absconder" due to her involvement in two cases of election code violations. Police have been ordered on Tuesday to arrest her and bring her to court on March 6.
These cases stem from Prada allegedly breaking the Model Code of Conduct during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, according to senior prosecution officer Amarnath Tiwari.
Context
Why does this story matter?
She began her political journey by joining the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1994.
In the early 2000s, she contested the Lok Sabha elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket from Rampur in 2004 and 2009, before she was expelled from the party.
Later, she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). SP's Azam Khan defeated her in the 2019 polls on the Rampur seat.
Past summons
Non-bailable warrants were issued numerous times; she remained unreachable
Despite multiple summons from the special MP-MLA court, the actor failed to appear before the judge. As a result, non-bailable warrants were issued against her seven times, but the police were unable to bring her to court.
Authorities informed the court that she was avoiding arrest and had switched off all her known mobile numbers.
Consequently, Judge Shobhit Bansal declared her an absconder.
Troubles deepened for Prada
Directions given to form a special team for her arrest
In light of the court's decision, the Superintendent of Police in Rampur has been directed to assemble a special team led by a circle officer to arrest the former MP and present her in the court on March 6.
Inspector Ranji Trivedi's report noted that she was evading capture by keeping her mobile unreachable.
Filmography
A look at her career in Hindi cinema
She started her acting career in the mid-70s with Telugu films. She largely worked in Telugu cinema, followed by Bollywood movies.
The actor is best known for Hindi movies such as Sharaabi, Kaanoon Ki Aawaz, Aaj Ka Arjun, and Nyay Anyay, among many others.
Though she starred opposite many leading actors in Hindi cinema, she was mostly paired with Amitabh Bachchan.