Ex-BJP MLA asked to appear before police following rape charges by 2 women
BJP MLA Jayanti Bhanushali
The police directed him to appear at Sarthana police station for investigation and medical examination.
Former Gujarat BJP MLA Jayanti Bhanushali has been asked to appear before court after being accused of rape by two women in Surat.
The former lawmaker is required to appear before the police so that his statement is recorded and medical examination conducted as part of the investigation, police said. The summons have been issued under CrPC Section 160 by Deputy Commissioner of Police Leena Patil.
"We have issued summons to Bhanushali under section 160 of the CrPC in the rape case filed at the Sarthana police station in the city in which he is the accused," said Police Commissioner Satish Sharma, as quoted by PTI.
The first complaint was filed by a 21-year-old woman on July 19 and was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code or IPC related to public servant committing rape, criminal intimidation, cheating, wrongful confinement and forgery, among others.
More recently, another woman, 32-year-old widow from Nadiad, accused him of sexually exploiting her. She released an audio statement levelling charges against the former MLA from Abdasa constituency, and also made public tapes of the conversations they had over the years, reports said.
As per reports, the audio tape included the woman claiming to have been having financial troubles when she first met Bhanushali and that she and the politician were in a sexual relationship for six years.
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She further said that Bhanushali used to meet her financial requirements in lieu of the sexual relations between them and stopped six months ago. The woman allegedly said that she even went to the cops to file a complaint but it was denied.
Bhanushali represented the Abdasa assembly segment in Kutch district from 2007 to 2012. In the wake of the allegations, the 53-year-old leader had to step down from the post of Gujarat BJP vice-president.
He had then described the allegations as baseless and said they were aimed at finishing his political career. The former lawmaker had also said he will not take up any post till his name is cleared in the case.