The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant protection from arrest to newly elected BSP MP from Ghosi Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Atul Rai, accused of raping a college student from Varanasi.
Rai, who has been absconding since the registration of the rape case, preferred to withdraw his petition.
In an FIR registered at a police station in Varanasi on May 1, a college student accused the BSP MP from Ghosi in Uttar Pradesh, of having sexually assaulted her.
A vacation bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, and Justice Aniruddha Bose said it was not inclined to entertain a petition to grant relief from arrest to Rai.
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Previously, the apex court had refused to grant interim protection from arrest to Rai.
His counsel contended, that the case was politically-motivated to prevent the BSP leader from campaigning in the just-concluded general elections, and eventually sabotage his poll prospects.
Rai won the Ghosi seat, defeating his nearest BJP rival and sitting MP Hari Narayan Rajbhar, by 1,22,018 votes in the Lok Sabha elections.
(With inputs from agencies)
