Madhya Pradesh HC stays conviction of BJP MLA in assault case
In its ruling on the MLA's petition challenging the lower court's judgment convicting him for beating a government officer in 2014.
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh high court Thursday stayed the conviction and sentence of BJP MLA Prallhad Lodhi in a criminal case by a Bhopal court last week, raising the prospects of his retaining membership of the Assembly.
The MLA was disqualified as member of the state Assembly by the speaker of the house N.P. Prajapati after being sentenced to two years in prison in a case of assault in 2014.
In its ruling on the MLA’s petition challenging the lower court’s judgment convicting him for beating a government officer in 2014, the MP high court observed, “It is directed that the conviction and sentence of appellant Prallhad Lodhi shall remain suspended till January 7, 2020 (next date of hearing in the case)”.
Hailing the HC’s ruling suspending the party MLA’s sentence, state BJP president Rakesh Singh Thursday described the Assembly speaker’s decision to strip the lawmaker of his membership of the house and declare his seat vacant as “partisan”.