The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the trial in a 2007 arms case against former Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha MP Bal Kumar Patel, who alleged that the prosecution was a result of political vendetta aimed at damaging his public life and reputation.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sanjay Karol, and Sandeep Mehta issued notice in the matter and ordered an interim stay on proceedings pending before the 4th Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate in Raebareli.
The court was hearing a petition filed by the former Mirzapur MP, challenging an April 7 order of the Allahabad High Court that dismissed his plea for quashing the criminal proceedings under the Arms Act, 1959.
During the hearing, Patel’s counsel, advocate Rohit A Sthalekar, argued that the case was politically motivated. “The petitioner is a former Member of Parliament and a well-respected politician. Numerous vexatious complaints were registered against him due to political rivalry, most of which have ended in exoneration,” the plea stated.
The FIR in question was registered on June 12, 2007, alleging that Patel had procured a firearms licence using forged documents and possessed ammunition beyond permissible limits. A chargesheet was later filed under various provisions of the Arms Act.
Patel contended that no misuse of the weapon was ever established. He also cited a 2012 order by the district magistrate reinstating his firearm licence after finding no evidence of wrongdoing. Further, an August 2014 government order authorised the public prosecutor to seek withdrawal of the case in public interest.
However, the trial court rejected the withdrawal plea in 2021, invoking a 2021 Supreme Court ruling that mandates prior permission of the High Court before dropping criminal cases against sitting or former legislators.
In its 2025 decision, the Allahabad High Court held that the state government’s failure to act on the public prosecutor’s request indicated its intent to proceed with the prosecution.
