Gayatri Prajapati's reprieve shortlived as court sends him to custody

Ex-minister is accused of framing social activist Nutan Thakur & her husband in a false case

The reprieve given by a special court to former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prajapati in a rape case proved to be shortlived as a local court on Wednesday remanded him in judicial custody in a separate case.

Prajapati and two of his alleged accomplices were on Tuesday granted bail by special judge Om Prakash Mishra of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in connection with the rape case.

However, Chief Judicial Magistrate Sandhya Srivastava on Wednesday sent the ex-minister to judicial custody in connection with the case lodged by social activist Nutan Thakur, wife of senior IPS officer Amitabh Thakur.

 

Nutan had lodged the FIR on June 20, 2015 at Gomtinagar police station in which she alleged that Prajapati had used his undue political and administrative clout to conspire with the then chairperson of the state women commission Zarina Usmani and others to frame her and her husband in "completely false" rape charges and other allegations.

Police initially did not take action claiming that it was a false case intending to malign the minister. But, subsequently, it was reopened on the orders of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Lucknow in September 2015.

The CJM court on Wednesday remanded him in judicial custody for interrogation.