Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Former Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti did not get relief from the Delhi High Court, increasing the likelihood of a by-election in Datia. The court on Tuesday stayed Bharti’s arrest in a cooperative bank fraud case in which he has challenged his conviction. The next hearing is scheduled for July 29.
The conviction awarded by Delhi’s MP/MLA court, will continue to remain in force for now. Bharti’s disqualification from the Vidhan Sabha will also continue, and the Datia Assembly seat will remain vacant.
Bharti had won the Datia seat in the 2023 Assembly elections by defeating senior BJP leader and former state Home Minister Narottam Mishra.
Bharti told The Free Press Journal that the Delhi High Court had stayed only his sentence and not the conviction. He added that they had sought a stay on the conviction. On the possibility of a by-election, he said it would be decided by the Election Commission, which has vacated the seat for a bypoll.
The case dates back to 1998 and relates to alleged irregularities in a fixed deposit in the name of Bharti’s mother at the Zila Sahkari Krishi Aur Gramin Vikas Bank, Datia.
