The leader of the Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav, questioned the Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about the potential enforcement of "bulldozer action" against BJP MLA Ramdular Gond, following his conviction for the rape of a minor. This inquiry from Yadav comes a day after a special court in Sonbhadra sentenced the BJP legislator to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment.
In addition to questioning the expected bulldozer action, Yadav also raised concerns about the impending disqualification of Ramdular Gond from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. The Samajwadi Party chief expressed his doubts about the BJP's handling of the situation and emphasized the delay in terminating Gond's Assembly membership despite the severe conviction.
Under the rules outlined in the Representation of the People Act, a lawmaker sentenced to two or more years of imprisonment should face disqualification "from the date of such conviction." Additionally, they remain disqualified for six years after completing the jail term.
Yadav highlighted the 25-year imprisonment and Rs 10 lakh fine imposed on the first-time BJP legislator, with the fine designated for the rape survivor. The court's verdict, delivered by Ahsan Ullah Khan, the additional district and sessions judge of the MP-MLA court in Sonbhadra, was a response to the crimes committed in 2014. The charges against Gond included rape, criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code, and violations of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, based on the complaint filed by the survivor's brother.
It is worth noting that Ramdular Gond was not an MLA when the crime occurred, although his wife served as the head of a village panchayat in the Duddhi constituency.
