Prajapati cleared in cheating case, but won’t walk free

A court in Lucknow on Wednesday discharged former minister and Samajwadi Party leader Gayatri Prasad Prajapati in a cheating case, but he won’t walk free as he is facing several other charges, including rape.

Additional chief judicial magistrate Ritesh Sachdeva discharged Gayatri in the cheating case on the basis of compromise between the two parties. The court passed the order allowing an application moved by the informant Rakesh Prajapati.

The informant had lodged an FIR with Gautampalli police here on March 21, alleging that he had given Rs 6 lakh to Gayatri for sake of service to his maternal brother.

But he did not get any job and when the informant demanded back the money, Gayatri threatened him with dire consequences. The police had submitted charge sheet after investigation.

Moving an application on August 1, the informant said that he had not given money to Gayatri but to his aide Bhairav Prajapati and now he got back the money. Hence he did not want to continue the case. Considering that the case was compoundable at the hands of the informant, the court discharged the accused from the case.

Gayatri was arrested on charges of rape after an FIR was registered with the Gautampalli police station here on February 18 on Supreme Court directive. The complainant, a corporator, had alleged that she was repeatedly raped by the accused. She had alleged that Gayatri had also tried to molest her daughter.

A Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court framed charges against Gayatri and six others in the case.

The woman corporator, aged 35, of Chitrakoot had accused Gayatri and his aides of gang-raping her and sexually harassing her minor daughter at the official residence of the minister in Lucknow for two years continuously.