Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti disqualified from MP Assembly:Faces expulsion after conviction in 27-year-old fraud case

The Madhya Pradesh Assembly Secretariat has issued an order terminating the membership of Datia MLA Rajendra Bharti. Around 10:30 pm on Thursday, Principal Secretary Arvind Sharma reached the Assembly, following which the Secretariat was opened and the process to declare Bharti’s seat vacant and inform the Election Commission was initiated. As soon as the development came to light, State Congress President Jitu Patwari and former MLA PC Sharma rushed to the Assembly late at night. They went directly to Sharma’s chamber and questioned why the Assembly was opened at such an unusual hour. After Sharma left without responding, Patwari alleged that the action to terminate Bharti’s membership was taken at the behest of the BJP and was against established rules. Conviction in 27-year-old fraud case Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti was recently convicted in a 27-year-old fixed deposit (FD) fraud case. On Thursday, Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court began sentencing proceedings at 11 am and pronounced a three-year sentence at 12:41 pm. However, the court has suspended the sentence for 60 days to allow Bharti to file an appeal. Co-accused bank clerk Raghuveer Prajapati has also been convicted. Bharti was found guilty of criminal conspiracy (Section 120B) and charges of cheating and forgery (Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 of IPC). He was sentenced to three years under two sections and two years under another. See, three pictures Legal implications for membership As per legal provisions, any legislator sentenced to two years or more faces disqualification from membership. With Bharti receiving a three-year sentence, his Assembly membership is at risk. Senior lawyers noted that if Bharti secures a stay on his conviction from the High Court within the 60-day window, he may retain his membership. How the fraud was carried out The case dates back to 1998, when Savitri Shyam, Bharti’s mother and president of Shyam Sundar Sansthan, deposited ₹10 lakh as an FD in the Datia Cooperative Rural Development Bank. Between 1998 and 2001, Bharti served as chairman of the bank’s board. He was also a trustee of the institution. During this period, he allegedly conspired with clerk Raghuveer Prajapati to manipulate bank records, extending the FD tenure from three years to 15 years. Using this, interest amounting to ₹1.35 lakh annually was withdrawn between 1999 and 2011 at an interest rate of 13.5%. Case exposed and Legal journey The fraud came to light on March 3, 2011, when BJP leader Pappu Pujari became the bank chairman and flagged the issue. An audit objection was raised following an inquiry by the Cooperative Department. In 2012, Bharti sought payment of the FD amount but was denied due to audit objections. He approached the consumer forum but did not receive relief. After partial relief from the State Consumer Forum, the matter escalated to the National Consumer Forum and eventually the Supreme Court, where Bharti did not succeed. In 2015, then Collector Prakashchandra Jangde initiated criminal proceedings. Following a court directive, a case was registered under various IPC sections. The case was later transferred to Gwalior after the formation of MP-MLA courts and subsequently moved to the Delhi MP-MLA Court in October 2025. Possibility of by-election With the seat declared vacant, a by-election may be necessitated. However, Bharti’s legal team is expected to approach the High Court seeking a stay on the conviction. Bharti’s son, Anuj Bharti, confirmed that his father has been arrested and sent to jail. He added that they will challenge the verdict in the High Court and apply for bail.