Court frames charges against BSP MP Dhananjay Singh in rape case

New Delhi, Feb 24:

MP Dhananjay Singh was on Monday put on trial by a

for allegedly raping a 42-year- old woman for nearly four years.

Additional Sessions Judge Sarita Birbal framed charges against Singh under various provisions of the IPC relating to rape, voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation.

The court has fixed April 1 for commencement of trial in the case by recording of statements of prosecution witnesses. In its charge sheet, police has arraigned 13 persons, including three doctors, as prosecution witnesses.

It also dismissed the bail plea of Singh on the ground that he can influence the witnesses. Earlier, during arguments on framing of charges against Singh, a sitting MP from Jaunpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh, police had said they had the evidence which showed the involvement of the accused in the crime.

It had said the forensic and medical reports of the victim corroborated the statement given by her before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC.

The police had said the victim has given all the details of the incident in her statement under 164 CrPC. Senior advocate Hariharan and advocate S P M Tripathi, who appeared for Singh, had said there were inconsistency and improvement in the statement of the alleged victim and police cannot solely rely on her statement.

The charge sheet was filed against Singh for offences under various penal provisions of the IPC, including 376(2)(h) (rape knowing that a woman is pregnant) and 376 (2)(n) (repeatedly raping the same woman), 377 (unnatural offence), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506(criminal intimidation).

PTI