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Journalism of Courage
A decade after former Madhya Pradesh finance minister and BJP leader Raghavji was accused of sodomy by his domestic help, the Madhya Pradesh High Court quashed the FIR against him observing that the case was a “politically-oriented animosity, which makes the petitioner’s prosecution malicious”.
Raghavji was accused by his male domestic help of abusing him for three-and-a-half years on the promise of getting him a government job. The victim had also alleged that he prepared purported CDs, which showed Raghavji in the act.
Following the controversy, Raghavji had to resign from the post. Raghavji had filed a petition seeking quashing of the FIR registered against him under IPC sections 377 (unnatural offences), 506 (death threat), 34 (common intention) at Habibganj police station in Bhopal.
Justice Sanjay Dwivedi, in his order passed on June 14, observed: “I am of the opinion that the complaint is sugar-coated with ill-motive, made to belittle the image in society and casting a stigma on the name of high-up-place person, who also holds important portfolio in the state of MP.”
The court noted that the “admission of the complainant that he planned and prepared a CD itself raises clouds over the demeanour of the complainant and suggests that he was anyhow bent upon collecting material against the petitioner so that at later point of time, it can be used against the petitioner”.
The court said that the “complainant has nowhere stated that when initially the alleged offence of unnatural sex was committed by the petitioner, he opposed such illegitimate act”.
The court noted that since 2010, the complainant had been employed at the former minister’s house, “when the petitioner started objectionable activities with the complainant”, who “never objected and this continued till May 2013”.
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