A special court here on Friday sentenced BJP MLA T. Raja Singh to one year imprisonment for assaulting police in 2015.

The special sessions judge for trial of cases against MPs/MLAs also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on Singh, who represents Goshamahal Assembly constituency.

The court found him guilty of threatening and assaulting police in 2015 after he was arrested for trying to stop a ‘beef festival’ organised by some student groups on Osmania University Campus.

After the court convicted Raja Singh and pronounced the sentence, police took him into custody.

The MLA said the court subsequently granted him bail and gave him time till March 1 to file an appeal before the High Court.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Osmania University students had organised beef festival on the campus. Raja Singh was leaving for the venue to disrupt the festival when police took him into preventive custody. He was shifted to Bollaram police station.

The BJP MLA allegedly assaulted and threatened sub-inspector of police at Bollaram police station when he tried to prevent his supporters who had come there to meet him.

A case under Sections 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against the controversial legislator.

The police had filed a charge sheet against Raja Singh in 2019.

Meanwhile, Raja Singh said that he is even prepared for the death sentence to protect the cow. He said in a statement that on receiving the information about beef festival he along with his ‘karyakartas’ tried to visit Osmania University to stop the beef festival, but were stopped by police and taken to the police station where he alleged his followers were baton-charged.