Lok Janshakti Party MP Prince Raj has been booked on rape charges here following a direction by a court, the police said on Tuesday. Delhi Police has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Prince Raj under sections related to rape, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence. Meanwhile, the lawmaker also moved a court here on Tuesday for anticipatory bail alleging that he had been blackmailed by the complainant.

The police said a complaint was filed three months ago by the alleged victim, who is a party worker, and the case was registered on the directions of a court. Prince had in June tweeted on the case denying all the allegations levelled by her. The alleged rape took place in 2020, according to the complainant.

“The court’s direction came on September 9 and a case has been registered (against Prince Raj) under relevant sections at the Connaught Place Police Station. An investigation is underway and nobody has been questioned in this regard yet,” said a senior police official.

Raj’s anticipatory bail application is likely to come up for hearing before Special Judge MK Nagpal on Thursday.

The application, moved by advocate Nitesh Rana, claims that the alleged victim and her male friend were extorting money and blackmailing Prince Raj and a case had already been filed in that regard earlier, in which the woman and her associate were granted anticipatory bail.

Prince is the cousin of LJP leader Chirag Paswan who, according to police, was also mentioned in the FIR. The victim alleged that Chirag pressured her not to file the complaint against Prince, the police said. Chirag Paswan had earlier said that he had spoken to his cousin and the complainant when the matter was brought before him. He had asked both of them to pursue the matter with police, he had said.

Chirag Paswan and Prince Raj are estranged now with the latter joining the party faction headed by their uncle and Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras.

Advocate Sudesh Kumari Jethwa, who is representing the woman, said, “A complaint was filed at Connaught Place Police Station by the victim in May this year. When no action was taken, we moved an application before Rouse Avenue court in July. The court then directed the police to lodge an FIR and carry out the investigation in a fair and unbiased manner.”

In her complaint, the victim claimed that she met Prince first at the party office. They later met on many occasions and at one such meeting, the accused allegedly gave her something to drink. When she became unconscious, he made physical relations with her, the police said. When she confronted him later, he showed her a video recorded by him in which he was seen in a compromising position with her. She also alleged that he proposed to marry her and threatened that he would put the video on the internet. She also alleged that Prince then started visiting her at odd hours.

In his police complaint filed in February, Prince had alleged that the woman developed a physical relationship with him after taking him into confidence. The act was also videographed by her with the help of a man with whom she was in a live-in-relationship, according to police officials. Prince further alleged the woman and the man also demanded Rs 1 crore from him but he gave them Rs two lakh. Later on the advice of his legal team, he approached the police, the officer said.