RJD MLA gets lifer in rape case

Patna, Dec 22: A local court on has awarded life sentence to suspended RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav and two others convicted in a case related to raping a minor girl over two years ago.

Three others were sentenced to 10 years rigourous imprisonment in the case.

The court had convicted Yadav and the five others, including four women, on December 15 for the rape of the minor girl at his residence in Bihar Sharif on February 6, 2016.

Special MP and MLA court judge-cum-Additional District and Sessions Judge Parshuram Singh Yadav awarded life imprisonment to Raj Ballabh Yadav under sections 376 (rape) and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act.

Yadav, who is an MLA from Nawada, now stands to lose his membership of the Bihar Assembly.

According to section 8(3) of Representation of People Act, 1951, a person convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years shall be disqualified from the date of such conviction and shall continue to be disqualified for a further period of six years since his release.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 on Yadav.

The two others who were also awarded life imprisonment were ordered to pay a fine of Rs 20,000 each. A fine of Rs 10,000 was imposed on the remaining three.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) suspended Yadav from the party on February 14, 2016, after he was named as accused in the rape case.

In its chargesheet, the Bihar police had also named a woman and her relatives as accused on the ground that they were supplying women and girls to the MLA.

Yadav had evaded arrest for a considerable time and finally surrendered after a local court issued a proclamation notice and an order to attach his properties.

He had later secured bail from Patna High Court, which was cancelled by the Supreme Court on November 24, 2016.