The BJP MLA from Duddhi Assembly segment, Ramdular Gond, who was recently sentenced to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor girl, has been disqualified as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. The MLA was disqualified roughly a week after a local Sonbhadra court sentenced him to imprisonment, and also imposed a fine of ₹10 lakh which is to be given to the victim’s family for rehabilitation.
Gond convicted on December 12, under Sections 506 (criminal intimidation), 376 (sexual assault/rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO), while the jail term was pronounced on December 15.
Also read | U.P. BJP MLA Ramdular Gond sentenced to 25 years in prison in rape case, likely to lose Assembly seat
The Representation of the People Act, says any public representative sentenced to imprisonment for two years or more shall be disqualified “from the date of such conviction”, and remain disqualified for another six years after serving time. Gond belongs to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community, and won the 2022 Vidhan Sabha election from the Duddhi Assembly seat by a huge margin. Duddhi is one of five Assembly constituencies falling under the Robertsganj Lok Sabha segment.
Earlier, Samajwadi Party (SP) president and the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Akhilesh Yadav, on December 16, a day after Gond’s sentencing, questioned the lateness in his disqualification, and asked if he was being given “immunity” as he is a BJP MLA.
“The BJP’s Duddhi (Sonbhadra) MLA has been sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10 lakh in the rape case, yet his membership of the Vidhan Sabha has not been cancelled. Is he being given special respect and immunity because he is a BJP MLA? The public is asking whether the bulldozer action will take place today or tomorrow?” Mr. Yadav posted on social media platform X.
