A rape case was filed against Gujarat BJP MP Gajendrasinh Parmar following a complaint filed by a Dalit woman on the direction of the High Court.
The accused, a former minister of state, was charged with rape under Section 376 and criminal intimidation under Section 506 of the Indian Penal Code in connection with an alleged incident in July 2020.
Parmar also faces charges under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The action comes after the Gujarat High Court questioned the police over its failure to register an FIR based on a survivor’s complaint against the MLA representing Pratiji assembly seat in Sabarkantha district.
According to the complaint, Parmar called the woman to the MLA hostel in Gandhinagar on July 30, 2020, where he allegedly had physical relations with her on the pretext of marriage. She further claimed that the Justice Department later began ignoring her calls and threatening her, warning that he would not forgive her if she told the truth.
In 2021, the woman filed a special criminal application in the High Court seeking directions to the police to register an FIR.
Besides, Parmar is facing another case related to molestation of a minor in Rajasthan. In April 2023, the Gujarat High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea in connection with the case.
