BSP MP Acquitted in Rape Case by Varanasi Court 1 Year After Complainant's Death

The complainant had self-immolated in front of the Supreme Court last year alleging delay in justice.

A Varanasi court on Saturday, 6 August, acquitted Bahujan Samaj Party MP Atul Rai in the case of alleged rape of a 24-year-old woman, who, along with her friend, had self-immolated in front of the Supreme Court last year alleging delay in justice.

Anuj Yadav, Rai's lawyer, told reporters that the special judge of the MP-MLA court, Siyaram Chaurasia, had pronounced his verdict in the favour of the BSP leader.

"We fought the case for three years and attained victory in the end. There is a proverb – 'Truth can be harassed but not defeated' – it has been proven true today. We had produced a witness during the prosecution. The officials had corroborated that the witness is correct. However, due to some reasons the case didn't go for reinvestigation."

Anuj Yadav, BSP MP Atul Rai's lawyer