Former UP minister Waqar Ahmad Shah to be booked

Bahraich, Aug 17 (UNI) A court today ordered filing of a case against former Uttar Pradesh minister and senior Samajwadi Party leader Waqar Ahmad Shah and a senior police official in a rape case.

Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) ordered that a case be filed against Waqar Ahmad Shah and former additional police superintendent of the district Hiralal for raping a women, Gudia Pathak, continuously for six months by giving allurements.

According to the prosecution, Gudia had approached the then labour minister Waqar Ahmad Shah for getting the possession of her ancestral home in Bashiratganj area here.

The former minister allegedly sent her to Hiralal, who raped her by promising to get her house vacated.

When the victim complained about the cop to Shah, the then minister again sent her over to Hiralal, who again criminally assaulted her.

The rape continued for six months and in December 2006, Gudia approached the DGP and the state women commission for relief.

The then District Magistrate Shankar Lal Pandey had asked the police superintendent for a report in the matter. However, no case could be registered against the former minister and the guilty cop under political pressure.

Gudia then knocked the court's door in January 2007 and the CJM ordered the police to register a case in this regard.

However, the district and sessions court stayed the CJM's order and the accused could not be booked.

In June 2007, the victim went to the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court. Hearing the case on August 8, the HC rescinded the district court order and directed the Bahraich CJM to get a case registered.

Today, a copy of the HC order along with an application was filed before the CJM court, which directed the Kotwali police to register a case.

UNI