On Friday, Ramdular Gond, a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, received a 25-year jail sentence for the rape of a minor girl in 2014. This significant development paves the way for his potential disqualification from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
The presiding judge, Ahsan Ullah Khan, who serves as the additional district and session judge in the MP-MLA court in Sonbhadra, announced the verdict. In addition to the imprisonment, the legislator faces a fine of Rs 10 lakh, with the stipulation that the amount will be allocated to the rape survivor.
The case dates back to 2014, and charges under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as well as relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, were filed against Gond based on the complaint lodged by the survivor's brother.
Expressing contentment with the court's decision, the victim's family members welcomed the verdict.
According to Special Public Prosecutor Satyaprakash Tripathi, the court found Ramdular Gond, who represents the Duddhi Assembly seat reserved for Scheduled Tribes, guilty on December 12. It's noteworthy that Gond was not an MLA at the time of the crime, although his wife held the position of gram pradhan (village head). The trial initially commenced in a POCSO court and was later transferred to the MP-MLA court following Gond's election as a legislator.
