Chargesheet filed against SP leader Gayatri Prajapati in gangrape case

A special POCSO court here today directed its office to register a chargesheet filed against former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati and six others in connection with a gangrape case.

Gayatri Prajapati being arrested in Lucknow (File | ANI)

LUCKNOW: A special POCSO court here today directed its office to register a chargesheet filed against former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati and six others in connection with a gangrape case and fixed June 5 for taking cognisance of the offences.

Circle Officer (CO), Chowk, Radheyshyam Rai, had yesterday submitted the 824-page chargesheet before Special Judge Uma Shanker Sharma. After taking it into record, the court deferred the hearing in the matter till June 5.

The Special Investigating Team (SIT) of Lucknow Police, led by Rai, had levelled allegations under sections 376D (gangrape), 354, 504, 506 and 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 Gayatri, Amrendra, Ashish and Ashok.

The SIT had recorded the statements of the victim and her daughter, collected the call details, medical reports and statements of 24 others during its probe.

It had filed the chargesheet against the accused for allegedly raping a woman and attempting to molest her minor daughter.

A Chitrakoot-based woman corporator had alleged that the 49-year-old SP leader and his aides had raped her and attempted to molest her minor daughter in 2014.

An FIR in this connection was lodged on February 17 against Prajapati and six others on a direction of the Supreme Court.

After being on the run for nearly a month, Prajapati was arrested on March 15 and sent to jail. The other six accused were arrested earlier.

At the time of his arrest, Prajapati had claimed innocence. "This is a conspiracy to malign me," he had said, adding that he was prepared to undergo a narco test to bring out the truth. He had also demanded a narco test on the minor daughter of the complainant.