Lucknow: The MP MLA Court in Lucknow rejected a petition of the Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday to drop cases against BJP MP Dr Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Congress leaders Raj Babbar and 16 others.
Rejecting the petition, the MP MLA Court Judge Pawan Kumar Rai has directed the prosecution to frame charges against all the accused on the next hearing in the case on March 6. Dr Joshi was present during the hearing in the case.
On August 17 2015, an FIR was lodged by a Sub-Inspector Pyarelal Prajapati at Hazratganj Police Station against Congress leaders Dr Rita Bahugna Joshi, Raj Babbar, Pradeep Jain Aditya, Ajai Rai, Nirmal Khatri, Rajesh Pati Tripathi and other for making a violent attack on the police when they marched to gherao Vidhan Bhavan building.
When the police tried to stop, they started pelting stones in which ADM (East) Nidhi Srivastava, SP East Rajeev Malhotra, CO Traffic Avneesh Mishra, SHO Alambagh Vikas Pandey, SHO Husainganj S.S. Singh and several other police personnel were injured.
Taking serious note of the incident and charge-sheet filed by the Lucknow Police, the MP MLA Court rejected the state government application and fixed March 6 date for framing of charges against all accused.
Dr Joshi was then in Congress. Later she joined the BJP and won Assembly polls from Lucknow Cantonment seat in 2017 and was included into Yogi Adityanath Cabinet as minister. Later, she fought parliamentary polls and won from Allahabad.
She was Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President between 2007 and 2012 and was also party national president for the Women wing.
