Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has decided to withdraw criminal cases against its MPs, including Rita Bahuguna Joshi from Prayagraj and RK Patel from Chitrakoot against whom criminal cases were pending in Allahabad High Court. Bahuguna was facing trial in a case of forgery, while Patel was accused of patronizing dacoits.
The law department of the state government has asked the district magistrates of Prayagraj and Chitrakkot to withdraw cases against the MPs.
Case against Joshi for forging government document
An FIR about forging government documents was lodged against Joshi by area Tehsildar Vijay Shankar Mishra at the Civil Lines police station of Prayagraj 15 years ago, according to government officials. Joshi was then mayor of Prayagraj and had allegedly misused her power to sell land belonging to the municipal corporation. The case hearing was going on in the High Court.
The Prayagraj police commissioner had sent a letter to the prosecution last month seeking explanation on 16 points related to the case, the officials said. After the government received the reply to the query, it decided to file an application for the withdrawal of the case.
Patel was sentenced to a one-year jail term in November last year
Cases against Patel would also be withdrawn, according to the officials. Patel was sentenced to a one-year jail term in November last year for stopping the movement of trains and pelting stones at police during an agitation. The Chitrakoot MP was also accused of patronizing dacoits in a separate case. However, the law department has now decided to withdraw all cases against him.
The withdrawal of cases against a few more MPs and MLAs are pending and very soon decision on this would be taken, according to officials of the law department. The process in this regard has been initiated after many sitting legislators and MPs have been sentenced in cases that had been pending against them for long.
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