Nainital (Uttarakhand):The BJP MLA from Jwalapur, Suresh Rathore, against whom an FIR was lodged recently for the alleged rape of a party worker, has filed a petition in the Uttarakhand High Court seeking protection from arrest. The petition was filed in the high court on Monday and will come up for hearing in a few days, the MLA's counsel Aditya Pratap Singh said.
The FIR against Rathore was lodged by Haridwar police at Bahadarabad police station recently on the orders of a Haridwar court. The MLA has claimed in the petition that the allegations of rape against him are baseless and has sought protection from arrest. He also claims in the petition that the allegations were levelled by the woman and her husband against him as he had not paid Rs 30 lakh as extortion money to them. Rathore also said he received threats that his image will be tarnished on social media if he did not pay the amount.