Two Congress MLAs jailed for blocking Jaipur road in 2014
Congress MLAs Mukesh Bhakar, elected from Ladnun, and Manish Yadav, representing Shahpura, were among the student leaders who staged a protest and blocked Jawaharlal Nehru Marg outside the university's gate for about 20 minutes on August 13, 2014. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Parikshita Detha found them guilty after a protracted trial lasting 11 years.
The two MLAs, who were then National Students' Union of India (NSUI) leaders, had gathered along with about 200 students at the university's gate to protest against the process followed for the Common Entrance Test (CET) for admission to postgraduate courses. The State was ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party at the time.
The nine were convicted under Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation), and 341 (wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced to one year's imprisonment each, along with a fine of ₹3,200 each.
Bail granted
The court granted bail to all the convicts and gave them one month's time to file an appeal in a higher court. Among the convicts, Abhishek Chaudhary contested the 2023 Assembly election as a Congress candidate from Jaipur's Jhotwara constituency and lost.
The other convicts in the case are Rajesh Meena, Ravi Kirad, Wasim Khan, Dron Yadav, Bhanu Pratap Singh, and Vidyadhar Meel. The court observed that their protest had led to a complete blockade of Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, which is an important arterial road in Jaipur, and caused a significant traffic disruption.
The Assembly membership of both Mr. Bhakar and Mr. Yadav will remain unaffected, as a legislator can be disqualified only on being convicted of an offence with a two-year sentence or more, as per Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The Assembly membership of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Kanwar Lal Meena was terminated last month after he was sentenced to three years in jail in a 20-year-old case for brandishing a revolver at a Sub-Divisional Magistrate. Baran district's Anta Assembly seat has fallen vacant after Meena's disqualification.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
16 minutes ago
- The Hindu
JSP leader slams Rahul Gandhi for supporting Trump's ‘Dead economy' remark
Jana Sena Party (JSP) general secretary Bolisetty Satyanarayana criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for supporting U.S. President Donald Trump's 'Dead economy' remark about India, especially at a time when the country is facing unfair trade tariffs. The also deplored Mr. Gandhi for choosing the path of agitation instead of submitting a complaint with evidence to the Election Commission or the judiciary in regards to the alleged electoral malpractices. Taking to the social media platform 'X', Mr. Satyanarayana said that the repeated actions by Mr. Rahul Gandhi for his own political gains are deeply concerning. At a time when both the ruling and the Opposition should stand united for the nation, Mr. Gandhi's criticism of the Government of India is causing unnecessary divisions. He further opined that Mr. Rahul Gandhi's statements often echo the narratives of the anti-India forces, thereby weakening national interests.
News18
40 minutes ago
- News18
In Rare Show Of Unity, INDIA Bloc Leaders Strike Upbeat Tone At Kharge's Dinner
Rahul Gandhi thanked all leaders for attending and said the fight against the BJP and the EC was far from over The mood was upbeat and celebratory at a dinner hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Monday, as the INDIA bloc gathered in a rare show of unity. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, thanked all leaders for attending and said the fight against the BJP and the Election Commission (EC) was far from over. He stressed the need for the bloc to stay united and keep raising its voice. There was broad agreement that the EC must be held accountable. Many leaders demanded that a press conference be held soon, and rejected the idea of only a few members going to meet the Commission. The bloc has called for an FIR to be filed against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), the SIR (Systematic Integrity Review) process to be stopped, and for the BJP to apologise. They also demanded that the EC release all digital election data. Kharge, along with several other leaders, condemned the government for using the opposition's protest as an opportunity to rush through key bills in Parliament. Some also expressed concern that the government might end the session early to avoid further opposition pressure. It was made clear at the dinner that Gandhi will not be signing any affidavit or oath demanded by the EC, and he has the full support of the INDIA bloc in this stance. Leaders agreed to maintain pressure on both the government and the EC even after the monsoon session ends. Gandhi is set to lead a march in Bihar later this week, which will conclude with a joint rally of the INDIA bloc in Patna. However, while the bloc appears united, it is also driven by individual interests. TMC supremo and West Bengal chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already gone on the offensive against the EC and BJP, fearing that the SIR exercise could impact the 2026 Bengal elections. The DMK also expressed concerns that revisions to the voter list could impact the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav echoed these fears for Uttar Pradesh. The challenge now is not just taking on the EC but ensuring the bloc stays united. Differences may resurface, especially as some members will face each other in upcoming state elections — such as the Congress and TMC in Bengal, and the Congress and Left in Kerala. Still, the focus remains on maintaining unity. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Kharge both stressed this at the dinner, which ended with not just shared meals, but serious reflection on the road ahead. view comments First Published: August 11, 2025, 23:21 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Punjab Congress chief Raja Warring hails withdrawal of Land Pooling Policy
Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], August 11 (ANI): Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Monday welcomed the withdrawal of the 'Land Pooling Policy' by the Punjab government.'Farmers stand vindicated in their opposition to the land pooling policy, which would not only have turned them into paupers but would have damaged Punjab socially, economically and environmentally", he said, while expressing relief that better sense prevailed on the to the development, Warring said it was a victory for the farmers and congratulated them for standing firm against this policy, whose obvious aim was to rob farmers of land worth lakhs of crores of rupees without any compensation or their PCC president also thanked thousands of Congress workers for resisting and opposing the policy, standing by farmers, and staging regular protests across the Punjab government has officially announced the withdrawal of its land pooling policy, following a temporary stay by the Punjab and Haryana High Court and mounting public High Court had given the government four weeks to rectify the shortcomings in the scheme, but the decision to withdraw the policy was made before the Punjab and Haryana High Court had earlier stayed the land pooling policy, citing several shortcomings and irregularities in its implementation. The court had also highlighted the lack of transparency and consultation with stakeholders, leading to widespread public Punjab and Haryana High Court has spelt out why it stayed the Punjab government's Land Pooling Policy, 2025, in its order passed on August Bench of Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and Justice Deepak Manchanda listed a series of legal and procedural shortcomings — from the absence of environmental and social impact studies to the lack of timelines, grievance redressal and budgetary is worth mentioning that even today, the land pooling scheme was opposed by farmers. The court had said in its order that the policy lacks mandatory social and environmental impact assessment, there is no provision for resettlement of landless workers and other affected sections, no grievance redressal mechanism has been created, and no time frame or budget has been the past few weeks, tractor marches, door-to-door campaigns and demonstrations were held by farmers' unions, opposition parties and local people in protest against the policy. (ANI)
