E-Paper
Rape accused Uttarakhand BJP MLA fails to appear for DNA test sampling
The BJP MLA has been accused of raping a woman for several years and fathering her child by the complainant.
Uttarakhand BJP MLA from Dwarahat constituency, Mahesh Singh Negi, failed to appear before the Dehradun district and sessions court for DNA test sampling on Thursday, citing ill health. Negi had been ordered by the court on Wednesday to appear before it at 11am on Thursday to provide his sample for a DNA test to establish paternity.
The court had also ordered the complainant woman, who has accused Negi of raping her repeatedly and fathering a child, to be present along with her daughter, whose samples had to be taken too, for DNA testing.
Negi, while speaking over the phone on his inability to appear before the court, said, “I respect the court’s order but I am not well to appear before it. As soon as I recover, I will present myself before the court.” The court was informed of his absence by his counsel.
The counsel of the complainant woman, SP Singh, said he had the information that Negi won’t appear before the court.
“We had come to know that his counsel is going to move an application on it, hence the complainant didn’t appear before the court with her daughter. First Negi would give his samples then the medical staff would take the woman’s daughter’s samples,” said Singh.
Also Read: Rare snow leopard, Himalayan brown bear, Tahr sighted in Gangotri National Park
He said the court has set January 11 as the next date for DNA test sampling.
Earlier in November, then inspector general of Garhwal range, Abhinav Kumar, had transferred the case from Dehradun police to the woman police station in Pauri Garhwal district to avoid allegations of a biased and unfair probe.
Earlier, the Dehradun police had submitted a charge sheet against the 30-year-old woman in a case of extortion and blackmailing, filed by Negi’s wife, who had accused the woman of blackmailing and an attempt to extort ₹5cr from Negi, by threatening to frame him in a rape case.
After she was accused of blackmailing and extortion, the woman filed a case, accusing Negi of raping her for several years and fathering her daughter, following which, Negi and his wife were booked for rape and criminal intimidation. The woman also demanded a DNA test of her child and Negi to prove her claims.
