Madhya Pradesh HC Stays Trial Court's Proceedings Against BJP Leader Akshay Bam, Father In 2007 Attempt To Murder Case

Indore, Apr 7: The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has stayed a trial court's proceedings against BJP leader Akshay Bam and his father in a 2007 attempt to murder case till the next date of hearing on the duo's petition.

Bam came into the limelight after he withdrew his nomination as a Congress candidate from the Indore seat during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections at the last moment and joined the BJP. The High Court issued the order on April 4 on a petition filed by Bam and his father, Kantilal, challenging the framing of charges in the 2007 case.

Justice Sanjeev S Kalgaonkar of the High Court said, "In peculiar facts and circumstances of the case, it is directed that further proceedings of the trial shall remain stayed till the next date of hearing only. Meanwhile, learned counsel for the state is directed to requisition and submit the case diary and relevant documents."

The High Court has fixed May 2 for the next hearing on the petition filed by Bam and his father.

On April 24 last year, the judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) in Indore, on a plea by the aggrieved party, had ordered the addition of section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code against the father-son duo in a case registered against them in 2007 for allegedly attacking a person in a land dispute.

Five days after the order, Bam withdrew his name as the Congress candidate from Indore and joined the BJP. An additional sessions judge of the district court had last month framed charges against Bam and his father in the attempt to murder case. The duo then filed a petition in the High Court, challenging the framing of charges.

Defence lawyer Raghavendra Singh Raghuvanshi had argued that "despite the pendency of the trial before the JMFC, Indore for 17 years, no application for cognisance of offence punishable u/S 307 of IPC was ever filed. It was filed only when the petitioner no.1 (Akshay Bam) declared his candidature for the elections".

Later, the matter was committed to the sessions court and the charges were framed. The case is fixed for recording of evidence on April 30, and the petitioner objects to the process and framing of the charge.

Since further proceedings of the trial may cause severe prejudice to the petitioners, the proceedings should be stayed, the defence counsel had submitted. According to the police, an FIR was registered against Bam, his father and others for attacking one Yunus Patel over a land dispute on October 4, 2007.

The FIR was registered under sections 294 (abuse), 323 (assault), 506 (criminal intimidation) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, they said.

Patel alleged that during the incident, Satvir Singh, who operated a security agency, fired at him with a 12-bore gun at the behest of Bam's father, Kantilal. Singh, an accused in the firing, later died.

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