Delhi High Court Reserves Verdict On Former Datia MLA Rajendra Bharti's Plea

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Amid the by-election to the Datia Assembly constituency, scheduled for July 30, the Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on former Datia MLA Rajendra Bharti's plea seeking a stay on his conviction in the Gramin Vikas Bank cheating case. The court is expected to deliver its order on Friday.

On April 2, the trial court sentenced Bharti, former chairperson of the Zila Sahkari Krishi Aur Gramin Vikas Bank, to three years' imprisonment. While awarding the sentence, the court observed that repayment of the loss caused would better serve justice than imprisonment alone.

The conviction was recorded under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for cheating) and 471 (using forged documents as genuine).

However, disqualified Congress MLA Bharti approached the Delhi High Court challenging his conviction and three-year jail sentence in a cheating and forgery case linked to the alleged manipulation of bank records for illegal financial gain.

Talking to Free Press, Bharti said, "Hearing has been completed in the Delhi High Court and it has reserved its verdict for Friday. It is a matter of stay on conviction in the Gramin Vikas Bank case."