Ex-MLA fined Rs 50 lakh for accusing Rahul of rape

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Monday slapped a fine of Rs 50 lakh on a former Samajwadi Party MLA for alleging that Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi had gang-raped a woman from Amethi along with.

The court has also directed the state government to order a probe into the controversy in order ascertain if there was a political conspiracy behind the allegations made by Kishore Samrite, who was a MLA from Madhya Pradesh.

The order followed appearance of the 24-year-old woman in question before the court where she vehemently denied the allegations levelled by Samrite. 

Taking a very serious view on the matter, the court bench comprising Justice Uma Nath Singh and Justice Satish Chandra, who had earlier issued notice to both the Uttar Pradesh government and Gandhi, ruled that part of the fine of Rs 50 lakh would go to the woman, whose name was baselessly dragged into the controversy.

"The court ordered a payment of Rs 25 lakh to the girl, Rs 20 lakh to Rahul Gandhi and Rs 5 lakh to the police, which tracked down the girl and produced her before the court," Devendra Upadhaya, the state government's chief standing counsel told rediff.com.

"The court also considers it necessary that an inquiry be carried out by an independent agency to find out if there was a political design behind the move," he added.

Samrite who had accused the Congress leader and his five foreigner friends of gang-raping the girl. Claiming to have learnt this from some news website, the petitioner had stated, "I was moved by the news so I came all the way from my hometown in Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh to Amethi only to find the woman's house locked. Local villagers were tightlipped about the whereabouts of the woman and her family."