Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP from Ghosi Atul Rai, on Saturday surrendered in a Varanasi court, news agency ANI reported. Rai was absconding for over a month since he was made an accused in a rape case. The court has sent him to a 14-day judicial custody.
When the schedule of the first sitting of the 17th Lok Sabha was announced, it was uncertain if Rai would turn up in the Lower House of the Parliament. However, he didn’t turn up for the oath.
Speaking to IANS, former Additional Secretary of Lok Sabha Devinder Singh said, “If a member fails to take oath within 60 sittings of the House, then he will lose the membership.”
Singh said if a member has not taken the oath, then he is not eligible to participate in the debate and in the voting process in Parliament. Rai skipped oath-taking in Parliament on Monday as well as on Tuesday.
Rai won from the Ghosi seat by a big margin even after he did not campaign. He went missing after a woman from Ballia accused him of rape and filed a case against him in May.
However, the BSP leader was active on Facebook till May 27. In his last video post after the Lok Sabha win, he thanked people for backing him. He also said that the no court is higher than the people’s court. “The people’s court has acquitted its son.”
On May 27, he also shared a post on his Facebook wall attaching the copy of the Supreme Court order saying the petitioner has withdrawn her complaint from the top court as the High Court has given the date of hearing in the matter.
“But a few people are spreading false information that my application has been rejected,” he said.
