The court sentences former MP Dhananjay Singh to seven years in jail and a fine of Rs 50,000
Judge Sharad Kumar Tripathi, after hearing both factions, held Singh and his associate Santosh Vikram guilty in the case.
New Delhi: Dhananjay Singh, a former MP from Jaunpur, has been sentenced to 7 years in jail in the Namami Gange Yojana project manager kidnap case. The Jaunpur ADJ court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000. Earlier on Tuesday, a local court held former MP Dhananjay Singh and another guilty of kidnapping ‘Namami Gange’ project manager Abhinav Singhal, demanding extortion, abusing and threatening him.
Judge Sharad Kumar Tripathi, after hearing both factions, held Singh and his associate Santosh Vikram guilty in the case.
Both Singh and his associate have been remanded in custody.
Giving details of the case, District Counsel (Criminal) Satish Pandey said that Muzaffarnagar resident Abhinav Singhal had filed a case against Dhananjay Singh and his partner Vikram at Linebazar police station on May 10, 2020, on charges of kidnapping, extortion, conspiracy and murder. others.
It was alleged that Vikram, along with two associates, kidnapped Singhal and took him to the former MP’s residence, where Dhananjay Singh came with a gun and assaulted him and pressured him to supply low-quality material. If he refused, he threatened and demanded extortion, it was alleged.
The former MP was arrested in the case and later granted bail by the Allahabad High Court, Pandey said.
Dhananjay Singh, who was an MP in the 15th Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014 as a member of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), has been described as ‘Purvanchal Bahubali’.
In 2011, BSP president Mayawati had expelled him from the party on charges of anti-party activities.
Currently with the Janata Dal (United), Singh had recently indicated through a message on ‘X’ that he was planning to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Jaunpur seat.
He had won the elections for the first time in 2002 from the Rari Assembly seat as an independent candidate.