New Delhi: A city court has convicted former Madhya Pradesh MLA Kishore Samrite for allegedly sending a letter with the threat to blow up the Parliament in September 2022 if his demands were not met.
Special judge Vishal Gogne, convicted the former MLA from Lanji in Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district under section 506 Part II (threat to kill or grievously hurt) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) under which the a maximum punishment is of seven years.
Samrite sent a threat letter to the Rajya Sabha official
Samrite threatened to blow up Parliament if his demands were not met and he reportedly sent a threat letter to the office of the Rajya Sabha secretary general containing certain demands and a suspicious substance on September 16, 2022.
The court said that the articles sent by the former MLA to the Rajya Sabha official contained a letter, a suspicious substance, a copy of the Constitution and the Indian flag.
Letter was explicit in expressing the intention to blow up the Parliament, court noted
“The letter was explicit in expressing the intention to blow up the Parliament, using dynamite, on a specific date and time, i.e., 11 o’clock on September 30, 2022 if the demands expressed in the letter by the accused were not met,” the judge noted.
Court acquitted Samrite of charges for possession of explosives, endangering life or causing injury
The court, however, acquitted Samrite of charges for possession of explosives and endangering life or causing injury through it, saying the substance found in a parcel Samrite reportedly sent to the office of the Rajya Sabha secretary general turned out to be harmless upon examination in terms of their capability to cause an explosion.
“While the articles of charge under Section 5(a) of Explosive Substances Act (endangering life through explosive substance), and Section 9B(1)(b) of Explosives Act (manufacturing, importing or exporting any explosive), remained not proved, it is nevertheless established that the accused sent a letter with the threat to blow up the Parliament of India if his demands were not met,” the court in its February 18 verdict said, news agency PTI reported.
The arguments on the quantum of punishment would be heard on February 27.
