Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Ramdular Gaur found guilty of raping minor girl, gets 25 years imprisonment

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Duddhi constituency in Uttar Pradesh Ramdular Gaur has been found guilty by an additional sessions court of raping a minor girl nine years ago. The judge sentenced Duddhi's BJP MLA to 25 years imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹10 lakh. Ahsan Ullah Khan, the additional district and session judge of the MP-MLA court in Sonbhadra, ordered that the ₹10-lakh fine will be given to the girl's family for rehabilitation. 

BJP MLA Ramdular Gaur was accused by a person belonging to the Myorpur locality in Sonbhadra of raping his minor sister and threatening her with dire consequences. 

The conviction by the additional sessions court set the stage for his disqualification from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

According to the Representation of the People Act, a lawmaker sentenced to imprisonment of two years or more shall be disqualified "from the date of such conviction" and remain disqualified for another six years after serving time.

Ramdular Gaur, who belongs to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community, won the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Elections from the Duddhi Assembly seat by a huge margin. 

Special Public Prosecutor Satyaprakash Tripathi said the court held the MLA from Duddhi assembly constituency guilty on December 12.

Before the pronouncement of the verdict, Ramdular Gaur's lawyer urged the court for minimum punishment. He also assured the court that Gond would take complete care of the family of the rape survivor.

Giving detail of the case, Tripathi said the incident took place on November 4, 2014, and a case was registered against Gaur under sections 376 (rape), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 5L/6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Ramdular Gaur's wife was the gram pradhan at the time of the incident, he added.

The Myorpur Police had registered a case against Gaur on the complaint of the victim's brother.

Ramdular Gaur was not an MLA at that time and the trial of the case was going on in the POCSO court. After he was elected MLA, the files were transferred to the MP-MLA court.

Duddhi is one of the five Assembly constituencies which come under Robertsganj Lok Sabha constituency, and is reserved for candidates of the Scheduled Tribes.