Member of Parliament from Ghosi constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Atul Rai had gone missing since he was made accused in a rape case. On Saturday, Rai finally surrendered before the Varanasi Magistrate after absconding for over a month.
#UPDATE Atul Rai, winning BSP-SP Lok Sabha candidate from Uttar Pradesh’s Ghoshi constituency sent to 14-day judicial custody by a Varanasi court. pic.twitter.com/BQoEuo1TWq
— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2019
At the commencement of the first sitting of the 17th Lok Sabha, there was uncertainty whether Rai would turn up for the oath but he didn’t, possibly fearing arrest by the police in the rape case. Rai had absconded since his name first emerged in the kidnapping and rape case. He had not surrendered even when his anticipatory bail pleas were rejected by the courts. The Varanasi court has today sentenced him to 14-days judicial custody.
Rai had also not taken his oath as a member of the 17th Lok Sabha. As per parliamentary rules, a newly elected MP has to take oath within 60 sittings of the Lok Sabha failing which he stands to lose his membership.
Additional Secretary of Lok Sabha, Devinder Singh said, “If any member fails to take oath within first 60 sittings of the Lok Sabha, he will lose the membership. Any member misses parliament for 60 days, a motion is brought before the house following which he/she loses the membership.”
Rai was slated to take oath on Monday along with other elected MPs. But since he didn’t appear in the parliament and has not taken the oath yet, he is not eligible to take part in the debates or in voting processes.
Rai had registered a win in the Ghosi Lok Sabha constituency by defeating his closest rival, BJP’s Hari Narayan with a whopping margin of 1.22 lakh votes. He went into hiding after a woman from Ballia accused him of rape and filed a case against him. In his last video uploaded on Facebook on May 27 while he was still absconding, he thanked people for voting in favour of him and declared that he has been acquitted in the people’s court.
