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.
Taking his face-off with Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to the next level, Punjab Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday exhorted the people in Bathinda to defeat those “who are playing a friendly match”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he would never forgive BJP candidate Pragya Singh Thakur for insulting Mahatma Gandhi by calling his assassin Nathuram Godse a true "patriot".
Barely 48 hours before the parliamentary polls, actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol on Friday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court for deployment of paramilitary forces for meeting any eventuality.
Appearing at a rare press conference in last five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed confidence about the BJP to returning to power with full majority but did not take any questions.
