Court Acquits Former MPs in 2004 Code Violation

A court acquitted two former members of Parliament and three others, citing lack of evidence in a 2004 Model Code of Conduct case. Prosecutors accused them of holding an election meeting in violation of the code, but the court found the evidence insufficient to prove the charges.

In a significant legal development, a special MP-MLA court has acquitted two ex-Parliament members along with three other individuals. This decision comes due to insufficient evidence presented by the prosecution in a case relating to a 2004 Model Code of Conduct violation.

The accused, including former MPs Kadir Rana and Saeeduzaman, faced allegations of organizing an election meeting that allegedly contravened the code during the Lok Sabha elections in May 2004. Special Magistrate Devendra Faujdar concluded that the prosecution failed to substantiate its claims.

Prosecution officer Rahul Singh noted that the defendants were implicated for supporting Congress candidate Saeeduzaman. However, the court ruled that the presented evidence did not meet the threshold of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, resulting in their acquittal.

(With inputs from agencies.)