Rajasthan High Court cancels FIRs against independent MLA in old land case
The Rajasthan High Court has cancelled two police cases against Hanumangarh Independent MLA Ganesh Raj Bansal and others in a 23-year-old land-title matter. The court accepted arguments that the cases were registered after an excessive delay, following Bansal’s arrest shortly before an urban local body chairperson election.
The Rajasthan High Court has cancelled two first information reports against Hanumangarh Independent MLA Ganesh Raj Bansal and others in a case concerning alleged forged documents used to issue land-title leases. The case related to an alleged offence from October 2003, but the FIRs were registered on September 18, according to the source material. Justice Ashok Kumar Jain ordered their cancellation on Tuesday after accepting the petitioners’ argument that the criminal case had been registered after an inordinate delay.
Bansal was arrested by the Rajasthan police’s CID-CB on September 20, shortly before an election for chairperson of the Hanumangarh Municipal Council. Thirty-four Independents backed by his group had been elected in the urban local body polls and held a majority in the council. Bansal’s supporters and local traders protested against the arrest, alleging that the police action was intended to influence the chairperson election.
His daughter, Sonu Bansal, became deputy chairperson after Manju Rinwa was elected chairperson. A magistrate’s court in Sangaria initially remanded Bansal to police custody until September 25. He was later released on bail by a sessions court.
Bansal, his wife Santosh Bansal and their daughter Vandana Jain then petitioned the High Court to cancel the FIRs. The petitioners also argued that the cases had been influenced by political circumstances. The source material says the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Rajasthan registered similar cases against several municipal councillors and candidates for urban body leadership during the polls.
The High Court had earlier stayed arrest and coercive action against the accused. It also formed special benches to hear urgent protection pleas from councillors and issued directions concerning the safe arrival of Congress and Congress-backed councillors for votes. The material does not state whether any further legal proceedings remain after the FIRs’ cancellation.
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