Muzaffarnagar: Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan and other BJP leaders on Monday appeared in a special MP/MLA court here in connection with a case of violating prohibitory orders and inciting communal tension during the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots.
Judge Mayank Jaiswal fixed October 10 as the next date of hearing as all accused were not present in the court.
The judge also issued non-bailable warrants against four accused, including Achary Narsinghanand Saraswati alias Deepak Tyagi, priest of Dasna (Gaziabad) temple, for failing to appear in court.
The court directed the police to produce him and three other accused – Ravinder, Mintu and Shivkumar – on October 10.
According to prosecution officer Niraj Singh, 21 accused including Union minister Balyan, UP minister Kapil Dev Agarwal and VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi, are facing trial for allegedly violating prohibitory orders and inciting communal violence.
It is alleged that they had taken part in a panchayat meeting in Nagla Mador village where they violated prohibitory orders and incited violence through their speeches on August 30, 2013.
Over 60 people were killed and more than 40,000 displaced in the riots in the district and adjoining places.
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