Delhi High Court Issues Notice on Rajendra Bharti’s Appeal in Bank Forgery Case

Overview

• Delhi High Court, which issued notice Tuesday, sought replies from Delhi Police and other parties and declined to halt the conviction or the Datia by-election process.
• Bharti’s appeal contests the April 1 conviction for criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery and the April 2 sentence of three years in prison.
• The trial court ordered a Rs 1 lakh payment to the complainant cooperative bank, admitted him to 60 days’ bail, and suspended the sentence to enable the appeal.
• After the verdict, the Madhya Pradesh assembly notified his disqualification from the Datia seat, and the election process remains in motion unless the court stays it.
• Prosecutors say he and a bank cashier tampered with fixed‑deposit records from 1998 to 2011 to keep a 13.5% rate for a family trust, and the Supreme Court moved the trial to Delhi in October 2025 over witness intimidation claims.