Etawah MP disqualification case: Arguments heard, court to deliver verdict on Oct 12
The appeal was filed by BJP MP 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
Arguments were completed on Saturday in the appeal filed by BJP MP from Etawah and the court of the district judge, Agra, is to deliver judgement on October 12.
The appeal was filed by BJP MP 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, 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.
“The prosecution placed its arguments on Saturday in support of the validity of the lower court’s order. The defence counsel had already placed his arguments on past dates. With the completion of arguments from both sides, the case is now fixed for judgement on October 12,” stated Basant Gupta, district government counsel (criminal), Agra, who argued on Saturday in court.
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.
After the special court’s verdict on August 5, Katheria filed an appeal in the court of the Agra district and sessions judge on August 7, 2023. The BJP MP also moved 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 court of Agra district and sessions judge Vivek Sangal, in the order on August 7, stated that applications for stay and bail were being considered without entering into merits of the order passed by the lower court.
The district judge ordered the stay till disposal of appeal against implementation of order passed by lower court on condition of the MP filing an undertaking that he was prepared to undergo the imprisonment and pay the penalty ordered by lower court in case the appeal was dismissed.
“The FIR and case registered against me in 2011, which led to my conviction by the lower court, was politically motivated. I had been taking up issues related to the common man and will continue to do so,” Katheria had said.
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.
