No immediate relief to rape-accused SP-BSP candidate

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant any immediate relief to an SP-BSP alliance candidate in Uttar Pradesh who is facing rape allegations.

On May 1, a college girl in Varanasi lodged a rape case at the Lanka police station against the alliance's Ghosi parliamentary constituency candidate, Atul Rai— who is reported to be absconding after the FIR was lodged.

A bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and Sanjiv Khanna declined to consider Rai's plea for quashing the FIR.

“We cannot allow your petition for quashing of the case. You know the principle of quashing,” the bench orally told Rai's counsel.

But the court allowed his counsel to produce additional documents on May 27 as he contended that the victim girl had earlier made similar complaints against others and subsequently compromised.

The counsel also pleaded for Rai's interim protection from arrest till May 23 which the court refused.

The victim alleged that Rai took her to his home for a meeting with his wife and then sexually assaulted her.

Rai claimed that he is a serious candidate from the alliance and said that the "politically-motivated" case was lodged to deter him from campaigning and mar his poll prospects.

Ghosi constituency, in Mau district in eastern Uttar Pradesh, goes to polls on May 19.