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MP disqualification case: Court to re-hear arguments on Oct 16
The court was to deliver its order on Thursday after arguments by prosecution were completed on September 30. The defence counsel had already completed his arguments. However, the court deemed it fit to re-hear the arguments on certain legal issues related to disposal of appeal filed by BJP MP from Etawah Ram Shankar Katheria, facing threat of disqualification after a lower court awarded him two years’ imprisonment.
Agra :: The court of the district and session judge here will re-hear the parties on certain legal issues related to appeal filed by BJP MP from Etawah Ram Shankar Katheria, facing threat of disqualification after a lower court awarded him two years’ imprisonment.
The court was to deliver its order on Thursday after arguments by prosecution were completed on September 30. The defence counsel had already completed his arguments.
“However, the court deemed it fit to re-hear the arguments on certain legal issues related to disposal of appeal. As such arguments on required issues are to be placed on October 16, the next date fixed in the case’ informed Vijay Ahuja, the counsel for BJP MP Ram Shankar Katheria, the appellant.
The appeal was filed by Katheria who 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, 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 an application number 7B under section 389 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code and complained that the maximum punishment in the relevant crime was awarded by the lower court without providing sufficient ground for doing so, and thus stay be granted against implementation of the order by lower court.
The issue is related to an incident on November 16, 2011, when a case was registered at 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.
