Pocso case against Prajapati: Hearing complete, verdict on July 18

The additional district judge has completed hearing in the Pocso Act case and reserved the judgment on a petition in which former SP minister Gayatri Prajapati challenged the state government’s decision to impose the act on him in an alleged rape of a minor girl.

Uma Shankar Sharma, the additional district judge, sessions court, having additional charge of the protection of children from sexual offences (Pocso) court completed the hearing on July 13. The verdict will be pronounced on July 18.

During the hearing, Prajapati and his associates Vikas Varma and Amrendra Singh alias Pintu, who are also facing charges of gang rape, were present in the court.

Sunil Singh, Prajapati’s lawyer, argued before the court that Pocso charges against the former law maker should be dropped as the victim had refused to recognise his client in her last statement given before the investigating officer.

The state government has imposed charges under gang rape and Pocso Act on Prajapati in a gang rape case of a woman and her minor daughter. Gayatri Prajapati is an accused in the 2014 gang rape case. A non-bailable warrant was issued against the former minister and six others in the case.

The woman accused Prajapati of offering her tea laced with sedatives and raping her. Prajapati had contested the 2017 assembly election from Amethi seat but lost. He went missing after the election and an FIR was lodged against him on February 27 this year. The Supreme Court also turned down Prajapati’s plea for stay on his arrest on March 6.

A lookout notice was also issued for Prajapati by the UP police after he went missing. He was arrested from Ashiyana area in Lucknow by the UP Special Task Force (STF) on March 15. The minister, considered close to SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, is also facing charges of misappropriation of funds in the mining department.