LUCKNOW: The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has discharged Congress MP Rakesh Rathore in a rape case registered in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur, observing that the prosecution material indicated a long-standing consensual relationship between Rathore and the complainant.
The court, in its September 17 order, set aside the trial court’s May 5, 2025 decision that had rejected Rathore’s discharge plea and framed charges against him. The High Court held that the material before it did not disclose a prima facie case or the required grave suspicion to proceed with the alleged offences.
According to the court’s assessment of the prosecution material, the relationship between the two adults had continued over a prolonged period. The case involved allegations that Rathore had established a physical relationship with the complainant on an assurance of marriage. The High Court concluded that the material on record instead indicated a prolonged consensual relationship.
