The Supreme Court on Monday refused to protect from arrest the newly elected BSP MP from Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, Atul Rai, accused of raping a college student from Varanasi.
A Vacation Bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Aniruddha Bose declined to hear Rai’s petition for relief. Earlier too, the court refused to grant him interim protection from arrest.
Mr. Rai is reported to be absconding after an FIR was registered in Varanasi’s Lanka police station by a college student on May 1. The complainant said Mr. Rai took her home to meet his wife and assaulted her. Counsel for Mr. Rai had countered then that his client was a popular candidate and the case was framed to bring him down.
On Monday, his lawyer said there was no provision for anticipatory bail in Uttar Pradesh. The High Court had dismissed Rai’s petition on May 8.
