Rape-accused former Rajasthan minister sent to CBI custody

A court here Saturday sent former Rajasthan minister of state for dairy and rural industries Babulal Nagar to three days CBI custody, a day after he was arrested on charges of rape, 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.

"The CBI in its application requested the court for three days police remand as they needed to interrogate Nagar further," he said.

The court granted the request and directed the agency to provide medicines and other basic facilities to Nagar, the lawyer added.

Nagar, 53, resigned from the state cabinet two days after the FIR was registered Sep 17.

He was called to a government circuit house for questioning by CBI Friday. 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 35-year-old married 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 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.