Rajasthan ex-minister sent to 14 days judicial custody

A court here Tuesday sent former Rajasthan minister of state for dairy and rural industries Babulal Nagar - arrested for raping a married woman - to 14 days judicial custody, a lawyer said.

The former minister was produced in the special court for Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) cases, said Nagar's advocate Amar Singh.

Nagar was earlier sent to three days of CBI custody.

"After completion of his police custody, he was again produced in the court today (Tuesday). The court sent him to 14 days judicial custody," said Singh.

Nagar was escorted to Jaipur Central Jail from the court amid heavy security.

CBI interrogated the 53-year-old politician in its custody, sources said.

Nagar resigned from the state cabinet two days after the FIR was registered against him by the 35-year-old woman Sep 17.

He was called to a government circuit house for questioning by CBI Oct 25. He was interrogated for seven hours and arrested after he could not give satisfactory answers to some questions, said a source close to the investigation agency.

In her police complaint, the woman alleged that Nagar called her to his official residence Sep 11 on the pretext of giving her a government job and raped her.

Nagar, who represents Dudu constituency in Jaipur district, is not the sole party legislator to face such charges.

Two other legislators of the ruling Congress, Malkhan Singh and Mahipal Maderna, were suspended in December 2011 following allegations of their involvement in sexual exploitation and murder of government nurse Bhanwari Devi.