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Etawah MP disqualification case: Agra court to deliver verdict on Nov 2
Ram Shanker Katheria is facing a threat of disqualification after a lower court in Agra convicted and sentenced him to two-year imprisonment in a matter dating back to 2011
The court of the district and sessions judge, Agra in Uttar Pradesh, is to deliver judgment on November 2 in an appeal filed by BJP MP from Etawah Ram Shanker Katheria facing a threat of disqualification after a lower court in Agra convicted and sentenced him to two-year imprisonment in a matter dating back to 2011.
The court of the district and sessions judge was to deliver its order on October 16, the date fixed in the appeal after arguments by prosecution were completed on September 30. The defence counsel has already completed his arguments. The court, however, ordered on October 16 to re-hear the arguments on certain legal issues related to disposal of the appeal and October 21 was fixed as next date.
“The court of district and sessions judge at Agra heard the arguments on Saturday and fixed November 0 for delivering judgment in the appeal,” said district government counsel Basant Gupta who appeared before the court for prosecution. “The arguments were held on Saturday on certain legal issues involved in the appeal and now all eyes are on judgment,” said Vijay Ahuja, the counsel for BJP MP Katheria.
The court of the district and sessions judge, Agra, had admitted the appeal on August 7 and had granted a stay on the lower court’s order till the disposal of the appeal. On August 5, 2023, the court of the special magistrate (MP/MLA) in Agra sentenced Katheria to two years’ imprisonment and imposed a penalty of ₹50,000.
The BJP MP also moved the application number 7B under section 389 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and complained that the maximum punishment in the crime was awarded by the lower court without providing sufficient ground for doing so and thus stay be granted.
On November 16, 2011, a case was registered at the Hari Parvat police station in Agra on the complaint of the staff of Torrent Power Limited, which looks after power supply in Agra, against Katheria for allegedly thrashing Torrent officials while they were hearing complaints in their office. The case was registered under Sections 147 (riot) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code. Katheria was the BJP MP from Agra at the time.
