Congress MP Rakesh Rathore was arrested on rape charge in Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur during a press briefing on Thursday. The arrest of Rakesh Rathore, who is accused of raping a 45-year-old woman by promising to marry and build her political career for the past four, was made after nearly a chase of two weeks, confirmed Sitapur superintendent of police (SP) Chakresh Mishra told said over phone.
Earlier on January 17, the FIR was lodged against the MP under Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) Sections 64 for rape, 351 (3) for criminal intimidation and 327 (2) for threatening using firearm at Sitapur’s City Kotwali police station. He had been absconding since the registration of FIR amid his attempts to get anticipatory bail in the case. But a Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court on Wednesday turned down his petition for anticipatory bail and directed him to surrender in the Sitapur district and sessions court within two weeks' time.
Mishra said the MP was arrested from his house while he called a press conference to clarify his stand over the allegations against him in the FIR. He said Rakesh Rathore has been taken to the city Kotwali police station for further legal proceedings.
The police officer said the accused would be soon produced before the competent court, which will further decide his fate.
{{/usCountry}}The police officer said the accused would be soon produced before the competent court, which will further decide his fate.
{{/usCountry}}The SP said the Sitapur Police was carrying out searches for the arrest of the accused at his hideouts in Sitapur, Lucknow and other cities. The officer added that the police even served the notice at his Sitapur residence on January 21, asking him to give his clarification over the allegations, but he did not turn up before the police and kept evading the arrest for the past two weeks.
“We carried out the raid at his residence at around 1.30pm after coming to know that he was holding a press conference to give clarification to media over allegations levelled against him,” the SP said.
Court directed the MP to surrender
Earlier, the MP’s lawyer defended him and requested the single bench of Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan to provide relief to him as the case had been registered after a delay of four years. However, additional advocate general Vinod Kumar Shahi, representing the prosecution side, appealed the court to turn down the petition, stating that this is not the case where the accused should be provided any kind of immediate relief. The court had eventually turned down the plea and directed Rakesh Rathore to surrender before the Sitapur district and sessions court within two weeks. The Sitapur MP/MLA court had also turned in an anticipatory bail application of the Congress MP on January 23. Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Ajay Rai demanded a judicial inquiry to probe the accusations against the MP.