Purnia MP Pappu remanded in judicial custody for 14 days

Patna: Independent MP from Purnia Rajesh Ranjan, popularly known as Pappu Yadav, was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days by a Patna court on Saturday after being arrested in connection with a nearly three-decade-old case related to the fraudulent renting of a room.

The MP was brought to the Patna civil court by an ambulance on Saturday morning and produced before the court of additional chief judicial magistrate-I-cum-special judge (MP/MLA) Praveen Kumar Malviya. The court said his bail plea would be heard on Monday (Feb 9). Until then, he will remain under treatment at Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) due to health complications following his arrest.


The case dates back to 1995 and was registered at Gardanibagh police station under IPC sections related to forgery. The complainant alleged that his house was deceptively rented for residential use but later converted into a political office, leading to a prolonged dispute. The matter remained under judicial consideration for years, with the MP-MLA court recently ordering attachment of the property due to non-appearance, followed by the issuance of a non-bailable warrant.

Police executed the warrant late on Friday night at Yadav’s Mandiri residence after a nearly three-hour standoff, shortly after he returned to Patna from Delhi following a Lok Sabha session. A large police contingent, including five DSPs, teams from six police stations and officers in civil clothes, arrived at his residence and presented the warrant. Yadav claimed only documents related to property attachment were shown to him and alleged the action was politically motivated.

During the arrest, the MP fainted and sustained injuries, after which he was shifted to hospital. He was later moved from Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences to PMCH on Saturday morning on a stretcher, complaining of severe headache and palpitations.

City SP (West) Bhanu Pratap Singh said, “The case dates back to 1995. The trial is in progress and the MP was required to appear in court but failed to do so. Therefore, he was arrested.”

Advocate Shivnandan Bharti said Yadav’s bail application would be heard on Monday and alleged questionable police conduct during the arrest. “The court immediately took note of Yadav’s poor health condition and ordered his transfer to PMCH while placing him in judicial custody till Feb 21,” he said, adding that the MP was admitted under judicial supervision rather than being sent to jail.

Bharti said Yadav had cooperated and voluntarily appeared before the media during the arrest, yet a fresh FIR was lodged accusing him of obstructing police duty. He questioned the necessity of the new case and alleged political timing, noting that Yadav’s bail was cancelled in July 2025 and the warrant had remained pending since then.

Yadav has recently been vocal about the suspicious death of a medical aspirant in a Patna girls’ hostel, alleging foul play, possible sexual assault, a cover-up and govt inaction. He raised the issue in Parliament and demanded a CBI probe, prompting opposition leaders to term his arrest political vendetta.

Rejecting the allegations, police said the action was strictly in accordance with court orders. Patna SSP Kartikeya K Sharma said, “The attachment order was issued by the court on Feb 2 and received by police on Feb 4. The case is under trial, and he was not appearing.”

Following the arrest, Yadav’s team posted on X, “Well done, Bihar Police. I fought the battle for justice for the NEET student girl… Send me to jail or hang, Pappu will not stop.”

Another post said, “Name is Pappu Yadav. Not to be feared, but to fight. For justice — that’s the name!”