A special court on Tuesday framed charges against former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati and other six co-accused in a gangrape case.
The Samajwadi Party leader was accused of gangrape, following which he was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days in March. He was arrested from Lucknow after absconding for 17 days.
The court of judge Uma Shanker Sharma charged Gayatri and co-accused Vikas, Ashish, Ashok Amrendra, Chandrapal and Rupeshwar under various IPC sections including 376 (D) (gang rape) and 354A(1) (sexual harassment).
Gayatri, Vikas, Ashish and Ashok have also been charged under the POSCO Act.
The court fixed 1 August for recording of prosecution evidence.
All the accused are in jail and they were produced in the court under tight security.
Gayatri Prajapati’s bail on 25 April in the rape case raised eyebrows after it was reported Prajapati bribed senior judges posted to “sensitive courts handling crimes like rape and murder”.
Following this the administrative committee of Allahabad HC suspended Justice Om Prakash Mishra for granting bail to Prajapati.
The woman, a resident of Chitrakoot, had alleged that the accused had raped her many times and then attempted to rape her daughter.
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