LUCKNOW: A Special POCSO Court here today took cognisance of offences against former Uttar Pradesh minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Gayatri Prajapati and six others in a gang rape case.
The court fixed June 22 for the appearance of the accused after directing copies of the documents related to the investigation to be served on them. Circle Officer (CO), Chowk, Radheyshyam Rai, had submitted the 824-page chargesheet in the case before Special Judge Uma Shanker Sharma.
The Special Investigating Team, led by Rai, had levelled allegations under sections 376D (gang rape), 354, 504, 506, 509 of the IPC against Prajapati, his gunner Chandra Pal, PRO Rupeshwar alias Rupesh, Ashok Tiwari, Vikas Verma, Amrendra Singh and Ashish Shukla. It had also levelled allegations under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against Prajapati, Amrendra, Ashish and Ashok.
The SIT had recorded the statements of the complainant and her daughter, besides 24 witnesses, and collected call details, medical reports and other pieces of evidence during its probe.
The complainant's FIR was lodged at the Gautam Palli police station on February 18, after the Supreme Court's intervention. The complainant had alleged that she was repeatedly raped by the accused on the pretext of allotting a mining license to her. She added that she lodged the complaint after the accused cast evil eyes on her minor daughter.