Rao moves high court to quash charges against him
Former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao on Friday moved the Delhi high court, urging it to quash the special court orders framing charges against him in the MPs bribery case while making co-accused Shailendra Mahato an approver.
Rao has also sought a stay on the trial court proceedings pending the disposal of his petitions by the high court. He is due to appear in the lower court on May 14 along with 19 co-accused.
The two separate petitions, filed in the high court by Rao's counsel Arun Birbal and Lovkesh Sawhney on Friday afternoon, are likely to come up for hearing on Monday.
Challenging the May 6 order of additional sessions judge Ajit Bharihoke, who framed charges of criminal conspiracy and violation of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Rao, his counsels said the trial court had erred as there was no evidence on record to justify the framing of charges against the Congress leader.
The evidence on record, even if presumed to be true, only showed that Rao was trying to persuade the opposition MPs to vote against the July 28, 1993 no-confidence motion against him, the petition stated, adding, "The petitioner in his capacity as the prime minister was obliged and duty-bound to defend his government on the floor of the House and also to seek and garner the support from all possible corners.''
The trial judge had erred in concluding that the meetings between Rao and his Cabinet colleagues Buta Singh and Satish Sharma were part of the conspiracy to save his government by bribing opposition MPs. No significance should be attached to these meetings, which were part of the normal routine of the then prime minister, they said.
The evidence of a great deal of money in the accounts of the four then JMM MPs -- Shibhu Soren, Shailendra Mahato, Simon Marandi and Suraj Mandal -- could not be used against Rao, the petition
added.
Related story:
Court frames charges against Rao, 19 others in JMM MPs bribery case
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