Patna, Sept. 15: A Bihar court today issued non-bailable warrants against 11 Maoist leaders from Nepal in connection with anti-India activities even as the Himalayan republic’s Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai is reported to have “pleaded” with the Indian dispensation to “annul” the judicial verdict against the leaders.

The additional district and sessions judge of Patna civil court, B.N. Singh, issued the warrant against the Nepalese Maoists, sending its copy to Patna senior superintendent of police Alok Kumar for its execution. The warrant precedes criminal cases on them lodged by Patna police in 2004.

Eleven Maoists were arrested from a hotel near Gandhi Maidan in 2004 and arms, ammunition and incriminating documents were seized from their possession.

The offenders were charged with sections 121 (waging or abetting war on India), 121A (conspiracy for waging war), 123 (concealing the intent to facilitate war on India), 124A (sedition) and 125 (waging war against any Asian neighbour) under the Indian Penal Code.

The warrant affects many senior leaders who are now part of the ruling dispensation in Nepal. Two of them are politburo members of the Nepal Maoists’ organisation, while six others are reported to be elected lawmakers.

Bhattarai is believed to have requested the Indian ambassador in Nepal, Jayant Prasad, to ensure that the Indian government annulled police and judicial action on the leaders on the “plea that they had joined the democratic process and were part of Nepal’s political mainstream”.

Earlier, cases against the 11 had rocked the Nepal Parliament with the lawmakers pressurising the Bhattarai government to ensure that the charges are dropped against them.