Patna, March 9: The high court today directed the urban development minister, Prem Kumar, to file a counter-affidavit in a case of stone-pelting from a procession he was leading in 1991.

A bench of Justice Shailendra Kumar Sinha asked the minister to file the counter-affidavit within two weeks on a criminal writ petition filed by Kumar challenging a lower court’s order declaring him an absconder in the case.

The high court on October 28 last year had stayed the Gaya lower court’s order declaring Kumar an absconder in the case.

Kumar’s counsel submitted that he was on bail and was not aware of the case instituted against him because the notice served was served at wrong address.

Then a Gaya legislator, Kumar was leading a procession in protest against the kidnapping of one Sanjay Kumar Gupta who was later murdered. During the procession, the protesters resorted to stone-pelting.

An FIR was lodged against Kumar in town police station. The police filed a chargesheet in November 1993.

Later, the property of Kumar was attached and subsequently he was declared an absconder in March 1996.