A Special MP-MLA Court in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue has sentenced Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti to three years in prison for criminal conspiracy. Bharti, representing the Datia Assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh, was convicted by the court and sent to judicial custody. The court also granted him bail upon furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000.
Rajendra Bharti has been given 30 days to appeal the court’s decision in the High Court. Another accused, Raghuveer Sharan Prajapati, was also sentenced to three years in prison in the same case and was granted bail on Thursday. The charges against them include forgery, cheating, criminal breach of trust, and criminal conspiracy under various sections of the IPC.
Speaking after the verdict, Bharti mentioned that he respects the court’s decision but believes it to be a political matter. He alleged that his political rival orchestrated a conspiracy against him, claiming that the bank manager involved is also fraudulent. The case revolves around irregularities in a bank fixed deposit linked to Bharti’s mother dating back to 1998.
The court found Bharti and his co-accused guilty of entering into a criminal conspiracy to cheat the complainant bank by drawing interest at a higher rate beyond the original fixed deposit tenure. Bharti had requested the Supreme Court to transfer his trial from Gwalior to Delhi, which was granted in October 2025. The court emphasized that the forgery of valuable bank documents was part of the plan to deceive the bank.
