A special court in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, has issued a permanent arrest warrant against former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav in connection with a case involving the alleged illegal purchase of arms and ammunition between 1995 and 1997.

Mahendra Saini, Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) of the special court designated to try MPs and MLAs, confirmed the issuance of the warrant, stating, "The case of 1995-97 relates to arms being purchased from an authorized dealer here by using fake documents. There were 23 accused in the case, which was registered at Inderganj police station, and all have been chargesheeted. Of these, Yadav has been declared an absconder."

The special public prosecutor, Abhishek Mehrotra, explained, "The permanent arrest warrant was issued as no one appeared in court on behalf of the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader." Legal expert Rakesh Pandey clarified.

"A permanent arrest warrant is issued after the bailable, arrest, or non-bailable arrest warrants are served but the person doesn't present himself before the court. Under bailable and arrest warrants, the court sets the time for the accused to appear before it after serving orders to them. It is not in the case of a permanent arrest warrant. The accused has to be produced in the court when arrested."

Yadav, previously convicted and jailed in the fodder scam in Bihar, was released on bail in April 2021.