Raj Babbar awarded 2-year sentence in assault case; gets bail
The MP/MLA court in Lucknow awarded a two-year jail term to former Bollywood actor and Congress leader Raj Babbar on Thursday. In the 26-year-old case, Babbar was convicted of assaulting a police officer during the general elections of Lucknow in May 1996. However, he has received an interim bail and is reported to approach the sessions court to challenge the judgment pronounced. Here's more.
Why does this story matter?
The actor-politician was reportedly present in the courtroom when the verdict was announced. Apart from the jail term, he has also been assessed with a fine amount. According to a report in Hindustan Times, Ambrish Kumar Srivastava, the additional chief judicial magistrate of the court, issued the directive on Thursday (July 7) after concluding the hearing of the case on June 24.
Here's what happened in the case
A polling officer named Srikrishna Singh Rana had lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against Babbar and his aide Arvind Singh Yadav during the time of the election in 1996. It was alleged that Babbar and his supporters had barged into a polling center, staged allegations of rigging, and then went on to assault the officer. He was a Samajwadi Party member back then.
Court pronounced Babbar guilty of the assault
The now Congress leader has been pronounced guilty of interfering in government duties and engaging in physical assault. Babbar was also pronounced guilty of roughing up a government officer. The complaint was lodged at the Wazirganj Police Station by the polling officer. Babbar contested against BJP's Atal Bihari Vajpayee then. Vajpayee enjoyed a sizable majority in the election and went on to win.
Co-accused of Babbar died during the trial
Babbar's co-accused in the case, Singh Yadav, died during the period of trial. The former MP has time to challenge the verdict pronounced on Thursday in a sessions court within 30 days. The actor has been a part of several Bollywood films in the 1980s. Some of his works include Insaf Ka Tarazu, Nikaah, Sansar, Waaris and Prem Geet.
