UP BJP MLA Ramdular Gond Convicted For Raping Minor, Likely To Lose Assembly Seat

The court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on Friday. The MLA has now been taken into custody. 

Representative Image: A BJP MLA has been convicted of raping a minor

Source : Getty

Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Ramdular Gond was convicted of raping a minor by an MP-MLA special court in Sonbhadra district. The court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on Friday. The accused, a first-time MLA who won from the Duddhi seat in 2022, was out on bail. He has now been taken into custody. 

Gond is likely to lose his Assembly membership in accordance with the Supreme Court's 2013 ruling that stated that any MP or MLA who has been convicted of a crime and handed a minimum two-year jail term will cease to be an elected representative with immediate effect. Punishment under the POCSO Act usually ranges between a seven-year jail term and life imprisonment. 

Advocate Vikas Shakya, the counsel of the victim, said the MLA was held guilty under Sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, besides the POCSO Act. 

The survivor's brother told IANS that he was hoping the court would pronounce a jail term of not less than 20 years. He accused Gond of harassing the family repeatedly after becoming an MLA and was pressuring them to withdraw the case. 

What Happened On November 4, 2014

On November 4, 2014, Gond, who was not an MLA then, attempted to sexually assault the minor in a village field, according to the prosecutors. Gond's wife was the village pradhan at that time.

The survivor returned home after the incident and narrated it to her elder brother. The minor also said the politician continued to rape her multiple times in the preceding months and threatened her, as reported by IANS.

The victim's brother lodged a case against Gond at Myorpur police station.

During the trial, the prosecution claimed that the girl was born in 1998. However, the accused produced documents claiming that she was born in 1994, which would make her an adult and reduce the punishment.

The trial of the case was initially being held in the POCSO court. After Gond's election as MLA, the case were transferred to the MP-MLA court.