Ex-Uttar Pradesh Minister's Bail Denied in High-Profile Gang Rape Case

Former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati has been denied bail by the Allahabad High Court, where he is serving a life sentence for gang rape. The court reserved its order for investigation and denial followed a nearly four-year-long legal process initiated in early 2017.

The Allahabad High Court on Friday denied bail to Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, a former Uttar Pradesh minister currently serving a life sentence for gang rape. The ruling came from Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Mohd FA Khan of the Lucknow bench.

The bench had reserved its decision until Friday after concluding the hearings on September 10. Prajapati was seeking bail while his appeal against the conviction remains pending in a special court.

Prajapati, who served as a mining minister in the previous Samajwadi Party government, has been in jail since March 2017 on charges of gang-raping a woman and attempting to rape her minor daughter. The case was initiated following a Supreme Court order in February 2017, which led to a case being filed at a Lucknow police station.

The charges against Prajapati, which also included threats and offenses under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act, were based on a complaint filed by the victim. In November 2021, Prajapati and two others received life sentences, while other accused were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

(With inputs from agencies.)