Uttarakhand HC stays DNA test of BJP MLA accused of rape till Jan 13

While granting a stay on DNA testing for three days, the high court also decided to hear the matter on January 13

Published on: Jan 11, 2021, 22:40:24 IST

By Neeraj Santoshi | Edited by Sabir Hussain

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The Uttarakhand high court on Monday stayed the order of a lower court for a DNA test of BJP MLA Mahesh Singh Negi who has been accused of rape and fathering an illegitimate child, the lawmaker’s counsel said.

BJP MLA Mahesh Singh Negi skipped a DNA test in December citing ill health. (ANI FILE PHOTO)

The high court’s order came on a petition filed by the MLA challenging the order of a lower court in Dehradun last month ordering him to appear for DNA test.

While granting a stay on DNA testing for three days, the high court also decided to hear the matter on January 13, the MLA’s lawyer VBS Negi said.

A woman had accused Mahesh Negi of raping her for several years and fathering her daughter after which Negi and his wife were then booked for rape and criminal intimidation.

VBS Negi said the court has directed the state government and the complainant should get ready for their depositions and the matter would be heard on January 13.

Last month, the BJP MLA from Dwarahat constituency failed to appear before the Dehradun district and sessions court for DNA test sampling in the case citing ill health.

He had to appear before the court as per its order passed on December 18, 2020 in which it had pronounced that Negi and the complainant woman with his daughter should appear before it to provide their samples for DNA test to medical staff from Government Doon Hospital.

The complainant who is married had accused Negi of raping her for two years and fathering her child.

The Dehradun police had earlier submitted a charge sheet against the 30-year-old woman in an extortion and blackmailing case in which she was accused by Negi's wife of trying to extort ₹5 cr from him by threatening to frame the MLA in a rape case.

But after the woman’s accusations, Negi and his wife were then booked for rape and criminal intimidation.

The woman had demanded a DNA test of her child and Negi to prove her claims.

A case was registered on the same on September 5 on the directions of a local court in Dehradun where she had filed a petition.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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