A special court will frame charges against former UP cabinet minister Gayatri Prajapati and six others in a gang rape case on July 3. All the accused were earlier produced from jail before the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court which served them the copies of the investigation in connection with the case.
Circle Officer Chowk Radheyshyam Rai had submitted the 824-page charge sheet before special judge Uma Shanker Sharma. After taking cognizance, the court had deferred the hearing till today.
The special investigating team led by CO Chowk had levelled allegation under various sections of IPC against Gayatri, his gunner Chandra Pal, PRO Rupeshwer alias Rupesh, Ashok Tiwari, Vikas Verma, Amrendra Singh and Ashish Shukla. The SIT also levelled allegations under POCSO Act against Gayatri, Amrendra, Ashish and Ashok.
The SIT had recorded statements of the victim and her daughter, collected call details, medical reports and statement of witnesses of as many as 24 persons during the probe. The victim's FIR was registered with the Gautampalli police station here on February 18, 2017 on Supreme Court directive.
The victim had alleged that she was repeatedly raped by the accused on the pretext of allotting a mining licence and when the accused cast evil eyes on her daughter, she had to lodge a case.
