Delhi High Court Refuses to Stay Conviction of Disqualified MLA Rajendra Bharti
The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking to stay the conviction of disqualified Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti in a cheating and bank record forgery case. Justice Manoj Jain, while delivering the ruling at the High Court in New Delhi, rejected the petition to suspend the conviction, stating, "We are dismissing it."
The legal battle stems from a case linked to the alleged forgery of bank records to secure illegal interest payments. The prosecution asserted that these offenses occurred over a multi-year period between 1998 and 2011. During this timeframe, Bharti served as the chairperson of the Zila Sahkari Krishi Aur Grahmin Vikas Bank.
Earlier this year, a trial court convicted the former legislator on April 1 under several provisions of the Indian Penal Code. The specific charges upheld by the trial court included Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), Section 420 (cheating), Section 467 (forgery of valuable security), Section 468 (forgery for cheating), and Section 471 (using forged documents as genuine). Following this conviction, the trial court sentenced Bharti to three years of imprisonment on April 2.
Bharti subsequently challenged the trial court's verdict in the High Court. While the Delhi High Court had previously stayed his three-year jail term on April 28, the conviction itself remained active, leading to his disqualification as an MLA.
During the recent court proceedings, Bharti's counsel argued that staying the conviction was necessary to remove the legal basis for his disqualification. The defense counsel also pointed out that suspending the conviction would prevent Bharti's assembly seat from being officially declared vacant.
However, with Justice Jain's Friday ruling dismissing the plea, the conviction stands. As a result, Bharti's disqualification as a member of the legislative assembly remains in effect, meaning his assembly seat remains vacant, although his actual physical prison sentence continues to be suspended.
