Senior TDP MLA Chintamaneni Prabhakar received a big blow on Wednesday, as the Bhimadole magistrate sentenced him to two years imprisonment along with a fine of Rs. 1,000 on charges of assaulting former Minister Vatti Vasant Kumar in 2011.
The Denduluru legislator from West Godavari district is also the government whip in the Legislative Assembly.
The magistrate court imposed a six-month jail term on Prabhakar and a fine of Rs 1,000 under Section 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the IPC in one case and a two-year jail term and another fine of Rs 1,000 under Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC in another case.
Although the MLA procured bail immediately with two bonds of Rs 10,000 each to avoid arrest, he is still expected to be disqualified from the Legislative Assembly.
The punishment was given in connection with three different cases pertaining to an attack on former Minister Vatti Vasant Kumar, his gunman and former MP Kavuri Sambasiva Rao during a ‘Racha Banda’ programme in 2011.
In 2011, the accused MLA had entered an argument with then Andhra Tourism Minister Vasant Kumar during a government programme. Alleging that protocols were violated, Prabhakar had a heated argument with former Congress MP K Sambasiva Rao and Kumar, who was present on the dais, intervened.
Infuriated by the actions of the Congress leaders, Prabhakar manhandled Kumar, following which the latter allegedly assaulted him. Soon, Prabhakar was arrested by the police based on the gunman’s complaint.
The police had filed cases against him under Section 506 (criminal intimidation), Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty), and Section 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from discharging his duty) read with Section 34 of the IPC and Section 7(1) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1932.
According to reports, while pronouncing the judgement, the First Class Magistrate of Bhimadole, Deepa Daiva Krupa, gave Prabhakar a month’s time to file an appeal in an higher court. If he fails to get relief from the higher court, he would be sent to jail, the magistrate said.