Lucknow, Nov 10 (IANS) A special court in Lucknow on Wednesday pronounced former UP minister Gayatri Prajapati guilty in a gang rape case.
Two of his associates, Ashok Tiwari and Ashish Shukla, have also been convicted.
Judge Pawan Kumar Rai of a special MP/MLA court in Lucknow held Prajapati guilty of gang rape charges in the case under Sections 482/378/407 of the Indian Penal Code.
The quantum of punishment will be announced on Friday.
In this case, seven people, including Prajapati, were charged.
A woman from Chitrakoot had accused former Samajwadi Party minister and his friends of gang rape. The woman also alleged that the accused forcibly had physical intercourse with her minor daughter.
On the directions of the Supreme Court, an FIR was lodged against Prajapati and six other accused on February 18, 2017. All of them were charged with gang rape, threat to life, and violating the POCSO Act.
Apart from Prajapati, Vikas Verma, Amarendra Singh, Chandrapal, Rupeshwar, Shukla, and Tiwari were also charged in this case.
Prajapati and the other accused were arrested and imprisoned after the FIR was filed.
One of the Hindu parties, laying claim to the Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya, on Tuesday claimed that the Babri Masjid was not constructed by the first Mughal Emperor Babar and even that it did not have characteristics of a mosque.
Justice Mishra replied, "Yellow journalism should not take place." Counsels appearing for Jay submitted before the court that the appeals should be withdrawn absolutely unconditionally.
Addressing mediapersons in Rawalpindi on Monday, Bilawal, the son of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, said Pakistan “lost Kashmir” due to the incompetency of the Khan government.
Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya, who created history as India's first woman Director General of Police (DGP), died earlier this week after a brief illness. Her memories, however, still live with people.
