Ahmedabad:

In a big relief to former MLA Jayanti Bhanushali, the Gujarat High Court today accepted the plea of the 21-year-old woman who had made a sensational allegation of rape against him last month, to quash the case filed by her in Surat.

The court of Justice P P Bhatt, which had on August 2 directed the government and police to verify the statement of the victim, after getting the related report accepted her petition. With this now the case stands quashed ie Bhanushali is no more an accused.

The woman who had accused 53 year old Bhanushali, a former MLA from Abdasa, of raping her on multiple occasions, had appeared burqa clad in the court and said that she did not want to pursue her case as she had lodged the complaint following some “misunderstanding”. She gave her written consent for quashing the FIR. The court had asked her whether she had filed the petition at her own or not. She answered in affirmative.

She later had reportedly filed a compromise petition before Surat crime branch to withdraw her allegations.

She has taken the step following her filing the affidavit in the High Court.

The lady from Surat had in a dramatic manner made the allegations and lodged the case against 53 year old BJP leader and former MLA of Abdasa in Kutch earlier last month. She had also addressed press conferences twice alleging that police was not arresting Bhanushali. Her former husband later made several allegations against her and police also started investigation in a blackmailing case against her.

Bhanusali, who had to get down from the BJP state vice president’s post following allegations that he had raped her when she had approached him for admission in a fashion designing institute, however never appeared before police.

It would be interesting to see whether Bhanusali gets back his position in the party or not.

DeshGujarat