A special court in Rajasthan handed down a three-year term to former BJP MLA Bhawani Singh Rajawat and his aide, Mahaveer Suman, for assaulting a forest officer in 2022. The SC/ST court also imposed a fine of ₹20,000 each and held the duo guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 353, which deals with assault or criminal force used to deter a public servant from discharging his duty.
The case arose from a March 31, 2022 altercation inside the office of DCF Ravi Kumar Meena as Rajawat entered there along with his sympathisers to protest against DCF Meena for supposedly calling off repair work going on at a temple there, allegedly. A video widely viewed is of an officer taking slap from him.
Public Prosecutor Rajendra Sharma
After Forest Officer Meena‘s complaint, under DCF, a case was registered against Rajawat and Suman under Sections 332, 353, 34 of IPC and Section 3(2) of SC/ST Act at Nayapura Police Station. Both were arrested, and Rajawat spent 10 days in judicial custody before getting bail from the Rajasthan High Court.
Reaction to Conviction
After the judgment, Rajawat declared that he was going to appeal the decision in the high court. The court acquitted him of all the charges under Section 3 of the SC/ST Act, but he claims that he was falsely framed and will continue the fight in the court.
This case brings out the fact that one should not forget that they are in public service and that there should be an accountability for violence against any government official.
