Lko bench of HC rejects Cong MP’s anticipatory bail plea in rape case

Amid pressure mounting for arrest, a Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Wednesday turned down the petition for anticipatory bail sought by Indian National Congress (INC) MP from Sitapur, Rakesh Rathore, who is accused of raping a 45-year-old woman for the past four years by promising to marry her and build her political career, confirmed senior prosecutions officials. They said the high court has directed the INC MP to surrender in the Sitapur district and sessions court within two weeks’ time.

The police, however, have intensified their search to arrest the accused MP and carried out searches at his hideouts in Sitapur, Lucknow and other cities. Rathore was elected as MP after he won the Lok Sabha 2024 election after defeating the then sitting BJP MP Rajesh Verma from Sitapur by a margin of 90,000 votes.

A senior prosecution official confirmed the MP’s petition was turned down by the single bench of Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and asked him to surrender before the sessions’ court in two weeks. “Although the defense counsel requested the court to provide relief to the MP as the case has been registered after a delay of four years, the Additional Advocate General Vinod Kumar Shahi, who was contesting the case from the prosecution side, appealed the court to turn down the anticipatory petition stating that this is not the case where the accused should be provided any kind of immediate relief,” he said and added, “The defense counsel sought the time to surrender when the court turned down the petition on which the MP was asked to surrender before the sessions’ court with in two weeks’ time”.

On January 23, the Sitapur MP/MLA court had turned down the anticipatory bail application of the INC MP Rakesh Rathore after hearing the argument between the prosecution and defense counsel. Sitapur superintendent of police (SP), Chakresh Mishra, had confirmed earlier that the FIR was lodged against the INC 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 on January 17.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Ajay Rai had demanded a judicial inquiry to probe the accusations against the MP.