Jaipur: Former Rajasthan minister Babulal Nagar was on Monday acquitted by a local court of the charge of raping a married woman on the pretext of providing her a government job after prosecution failed to prove the case against him beyond reasonable doubts.
Additional District Judge Prahlad Rai Sharma after hearing the prosecution and defence witnesses, said the prosecution failed to prove the case against him beyond reasonable doubts.
The former minister, who was arrested by the CBI in 2013, was brought to the court from jail under heavy security cover in the morning, but the judgement was pronounced in the afternoon.
Prosecution presented 19 witnesses whereas statements of 13 witnesses were taken from defence.
Hearing both the sides, the court had reserved its decision.
"Today, the court acquitted Nagar from rape charges," Nagar's counsel Purushottam Banwada told PTI.
Nagar, who was Dairy, Khadi and Rural industries in the erstwhile Congress government, was accused of inviting the victim to his official residence in Jaipur on the pretext of getting her a government job.
Later, the woman lodged a complaint at Sodala police station alleging that Nagar had raped her and threatened of dire consequences.
She approached the court, after the local police allegedly tried hushing up the matter.
An FIR was registered against Nagar on the court's direction, and he was booked for allegedly raping and beating the woman.
Nagar was expelled from the cabinet.
The CBI investigated the case and arrested Nagar on October, 25, 2013.
Nagar had been lodged in Jaipur Central Jail since then and failed to secure a bail.
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