UP BJP Leader Gets 25-Year Jail Term For Raping Minor, Faces Assembly Disqualification

The additional district and session judge of the MP-MLA court in Sonbhadra, Ahsan Ullah Khan, also imposed a Rs 10 lakh fine on Gond, which will be used for the rape survivor's rehabilitation.

A court in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, sentenced BJP MLA Ramdular Gond to 25 years of imprisonment on Friday for the rape of a minor girl nine years ago, potentially leading to his disqualification from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, as reported by the news agency PTI.

According to the Representation of the People Act, a lawmaker sentenced to two years or more in prison shall be disqualified "from the date of such conviction" and remain disqualified for another six years after serving time.

Ahsan Ullah Khan, the additional district and session judge of the MP-MLA court in Sonbhadra, also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Gond, earmarked for the rehabilitation of the rape survivor.

The survivor, now married and a mother of an eight-year-old girl, saw justice served after a prolonged legal battle.

Special Public Prosecutor Satyaprakash Tripathi disclosed that the court found the MLA from the Duddhi assembly seat guilty on December 12. The incident occurred in 2014, leading to charges under IPC sections 376 (rape) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), along with provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, based on the survivor's brother's complaint.

At the time of the incident, Gond was not an MLA, but his wife held the position of gram pradhan. The case initially began in a POCSO court but was later transferred to the MP-MLA court upon Gond's election as a legislator.

Before the verdict on Friday, the MLA's lawyer sought leniency, promising Gond's commitment to caring for the survivor's family. Following the court's decision, the MLA, previously held in district jail, was returned to prison.

Gond now faces the possibility of losing his Assembly membership, joining a list of lawmakers in Uttar Pradesh who experienced similar repercussions in the past. In October 2022, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan and BJP's Vikram Singh Saini were disqualified for criminal convictions, while in February 2020, Kuldeep Singh Sengar faced disqualification following a rape conviction. The trend continued with Abdullah Azam Khan and Afzal Ansari losing their Assembly memberships due to imprisonment in separate cases earlier this year and in May, respectively.