Former Rajasthan MLA Girraj Singh Malinga surrenders after Supreme Court order

Thu Nov 21 06:42:03 UTC 2024: ## Former MLA Surrenders to Face Assault Charges

**Jaipur, November 21, 2024** – Girraj Singh Malinga, a former Congress MLA, surrendered to a special court in Dholpur on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, to face charges of assaulting a Dalit engineer in 2022. The surrender follows a Supreme Court order that overturned a Rajasthan High Court bail granted to Malinga earlier this year.

Malinga, a three-time MLA who lost his bid for re-election in 2023 after switching parties from Congress to BJP, was accused of assaulting two engineers, one of whom was a Dalit, in March 2022. The assault, which included casteist slurs, allegedly occurred after the engineers visited a Rajput-dominated village to investigate unpaid electricity bills. The Dalit victim, Harshadhipati Valmiki, sustained serious injuries, including a fractured femur, requiring over a year of treatment.

Following his initial arrest and subsequent release on bail due to a COVID-19 diagnosis, Malinga’s bail was cancelled by the High Court in July 2024 after he held a public celebration. While a Supreme Court stay temporarily halted the cancellation, the apex court ultimately ordered his surrender, leading to Wednesday’s events. Malinga has been remanded to judicial custody until December 2nd. His case remains before the Supreme Court, with a follow-up hearing scheduled in four weeks. Dalit groups had actively campaigned against Malinga following the 2022 incident, protesting both his initial candidacy and later his acceptance into the BJP.