A Muzaffarnagar court on Wednesday issued warrants against a Bahujan Samaj Party MLA and his brother, accused of raping and forcefully confining 48 circus artists from Nepal.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Sumit Chandra issued the bailable warrants against BSP MLA from Bulandshahar Mohammed Azim and his brother Mohammed Yunus.

Both failed to appear in the court despite repeated issuance of summons. The police had registered the case in June
2003 when 48 Nepali girls were rescued in Muzaffarnagar from a circus.

They accused Azim and Yunus of sexual harassment and forceful confinement. Medical examinations later confirmed incidents of rape.

In 2004, BSP chief and the then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati handed over the probe to the crime investigation department. Despite all the charges, Azim was elected as an MLA during the last assembly elections.