Gujarat HC issues notice to former MoS, seeks reply over woman`s plea

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court issued a notice to former union Minister of State for Railways Naran Rathwa and sought his response over a plea filed by a woman demanding the status of his legal wife, claiming he has fathered her two sons. When contacted on the issue, Rathwa denied all the allegations and said he has filed a defamation case against the woman in Vadodara court. Justice AJ Desai had sent the notice to Rathwa on July 9 and directed him to file a reply on or before August 12, the day of hearing. An Amreli-based resident Rekha Waghela in Saurashtra region had alleged in the plea that Rathwa, a five-term MP from Chhota Udepur constituency of Gujarat, had fathered her two sons and sought a direction to conduct a DNA test to prove the parentage. Waghela had first moved the Amreli district court alleging `domestic violence` by Rathwa. However, her plea was turned down in May last year on the ground that the offence can only be registered by a `legal wife`. Challenging the order of the district court, Waghela then filed a plea before the High Court last year in November, seeking the status of wife for her from Rathwa and also demanded DNA test of her children and Rathwa to prove their relationship. The petitioner has demanded financial aid from Rathwa as interim relief.