High court rejects bail plea of former UP minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati

The Allahabad High Court on Friday denied bail to former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, who is serving a life sentence for gang rape. Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Mohd FA Khan of the Lucknow bench of the court denied the bail. The bench had reserved its order for Friday after completing the hearing in the matter on September 10.

The former minister had sought bail while his appeal against the conviction in the case by a special court is pending. Prajapati, who was a mining minister in the previous Samajwadi Party government, was arrested and sent to jail in March 2017 on charges of gang-raping a woman and attempting to rape her minor daughter as well.

Following a Supreme Court order of February 2017, the case was filed against Prajapati and six others on charges of gang rape, threats and under sections of the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act at a police station in Lucknow. The case was initiated based on a complaint filed by the victim, who accused Prajapati and his associates of multiple offences, including the sexual assault of her minor daughter. In November 2021, Prajapati and two others were sentenced to life imprisonment, while the remaining accused were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

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