Bhawani Singh Rajawat, a former Rajasthan MLA and BJP leader, has been given a three-year jail sentence for slapping a forest officer. The punishment comes after an argument where Rajawat hit the officer. He has said he will appeal the decision in the High Court. This case shows that even public leaders can be held accountable for their actions.
Kota: A special court in Kota sentenced BJP leader and former Rajasthan MLA Bhawani Singh Rajawat to three years in prison on Thursday for slapping a forest officer in 2022.
Along with Rajawat, his aide, Mahavir Suman, also received a three-year prison sentence. The SC/ST court imposed a fine of Rs.30,000 on both of them. The court allowed one month to suspend the sentence.
After the judgment, Rajawat told the press that he only put his shoulders around the then deputy conservator of forests, Ravi Kumar Meena, and did not slap him. He mentioned that they would appeal the decision in the High Court.
According to a public prosecutor,
“The SC/ST court also fined the convicts Rs. 20,000 each for being guilty under relevant sections of the IPC, including section 353 (assault or using force to stop a public servant from doing their duty)“
After his conviction, Rajawat told the media that he would appeal the decision in the High Court. The former MLA from Ladpura in Kota also said he was cleared of charges under section 3 of the SC/ST Act.
Meena filed a complaint against Rajawat in March 2022 at the Nayapura Police Station. He claimed that Rajawat had entered his office with other BJP workers and slapped him for stopping the repair work on a road near a temple.
Based on the complaint of then deputy conservator of forests (DCF) Ravi Kumar Meena. The case was registered at Nayapura police station under sections 332, 353, and 34 of the IPC, as well as section 3(2) of the SC/ST Act.
The police registered a case, and Rajawat and Suman were arrested on April 1, 2022. Rajawat was released from jail after 10 days on bail from the Rajasthan High Court.
After the verdict, Rajawat said he plans to appeal the decision in the High Court. He mentioned that he was cleared of charges under Section 3 of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The case goes back to March 31, 2022, when Meena filed a complaint after Rajawat and his supporters entered the forest office. They were protesting against the stopping of repair work at a local temple. During the incident, Rajawat reportedly slapped Meena and used insulting language.
A video of the incident went viral on social media, showing Rajawat hitting Meena. After the event, both Rajawat and Suman arrested, but Rajawat spent ten days in judicial custody before getting bail from the Rajasthan High Court.
The protest started because local residents were unhappy with the bad condition of the road leading to the Dhadh Devi Mata temple. Meena had stopped the repair work because it was on forest land.