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Book Simarjeet Bains in rape case: Court to Ludhiana cops
The complainant, a 45-year-old widow, had lodged a complaint against the legislator with Ludhiana police chief Rakesh Agrawal on November 16, 2020.
Acting on a complaint by a woman who had accused Lok Insaaf Party MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains and six others of rape, sexual harassment, destruction of evidence and criminal intimidation, a local court here on Wednesday directed the police to register an FIR in the case.
The 45-year-old woman, a widow, had lodged a complaint against the legislator with city police chief Rakesh Agrawal on November 16, 2020.
In view of the serious allegations levelled in the complaint, proper and thorough investigation should be carried out by the local police, said the additional chief judicial magistrate Harsimranjit Singh in his order.
“The SHO of division number 6 police station is directed to register an FIR in the case without any further delay,” the court added.
The court further stated the footage of CCTV cameras installed at various places near the scene of the crime are required to be collected.
The woman said that she had approached Bains for help in 2019 in connection with a property issue after her husband’s death. However, she alleged that the MLA took advantage of her situation and raped her inside his office cabin. Bains, on his part, rubbished the allegations, terming them as politically motivated.
Accused used political clout, says court
The court said it is quite evident from the material on record that the victim is a hapless woman stricken by adversity who was unabashedly exploited. “The police have turned a blind eye as the accused exercised his political clout forcing the victim to knock the doors of the court for justice,” said the court.
“The cries of help by a common man against an overbearing and powerful political figure are often found too faint to be heard at some forums. The complainant had been steadfastly pursuing the complaint against all odds and the extraordinary narrative of the sexual exploitation warrants a thorough investigation,” added the court.
