A Mohali court on Tuesday sentenced self-styled pastor Bajinder Singh, 42, to life imprisonment until death in a rape case registered against him in Zirakpur in 2018.
Additional district and sessions judge Vikrant Kumar pronounced the judgment as Bajinder, who runs the Church of Glory and Wisdom in Mohali, was brought from Patiala jail and produced before him amid tight security.
The court awarded imprisonment for the “remainder of natural life” to Bajinder under Sections 376 (2)(n) (repeated rape on the same woman) and imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh. The court awarded one-year jail to Bajinder under Sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
He was convicted on March 28 and sent to Patiala jail. Five other accused in the case — pastor Jatinder Kumar of Nawanshahr (now Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar), pastor Akbar Bhatti of Kurukshetra, Satar Ali of Mohali, Sandeep Pehalwan of Chandigarh and Rajesh Chaudhary of Dhakoli — were acquitted last Friday. The sixth accused Sucha Singh of Kharar died during trial on October 15, 2022.
Earlier, Bajinder reached the court around 10:15 am amid tight security. The court hearing started at 10:30 am concluded in an hour. After verdict, Bajinder was immediately rushed out of the court complex by the cops.
The prosecution led by special public prosecutor Dilpreet Singh and advocates Anil Sagar and Sumit Sawhney examined 17 witnesses to prove the case against Bajinder. During the trial, the defence counsel contended that initially the victim had denied the occurrence of crime and was declared hostile. The counsel said according to a prosecution witness, Bajinder vacated a flat he had taken on rent in Sector 63, Chandigarh, much before the date of crime in 2017 and thus the case was registered to extort money from him.
{{/usCountry}}The prosecution led by special public prosecutor Dilpreet Singh and advocates Anil Sagar and Sumit Sawhney examined 17 witnesses to prove the case against Bajinder. During the trial, the defence counsel contended that initially the victim had denied the occurrence of crime and was declared hostile. The counsel said according to a prosecution witness, Bajinder vacated a flat he had taken on rent in Sector 63, Chandigarh, much before the date of crime in 2017 and thus the case was registered to extort money from him.
{{/usCountry}}Accused misused his position: Court
The court dismissed the arguments saying the accused failed to prove any motive on the part of the police or the prosecutrix for his false implication.
“From the testimony of the prosecutrix and photographs, it has been proved on record that she was in touch with Bajinder and he committed rape. It is crystal clear that the accused threatened her,” the court said, convicting the accused.
Bajinder, however, sought a lenient view, citing he has three children, including two daughters, and his wife is suffering from a spine problem. He said he has a rod in his leg, too.
The defence counsel said: “He is a preacher of Christianity and has many followers. The convict is serving humanity with honesty and dedication and doing several social services and religious work.”
However, the judge said that the convict had misused his position as a preacher repeatedly and had committed a heinous offence. “A rapist not only causes physical injuries but also leaves an indelible scar on the most cherished possession of a girl i.e. her dignity, honour, reputation and not the least, her chastity. In such circumstances, every perpetrator of rape should be punished expeditiously, severely and strictly,” the court said.
Victim faints after hearing verdict
Overwhelmed, the victim, 38, who belongs to Hoshiarpur, and stayed in a rented accommodation in Zirakpur, fainted after the verdict was pronounced. Talking to the media later, she said after fighting a seven-year-long battle amid threats to her life from Bajinder and his supporters, the judiciary had come to her rescue. “It is a huge relief. Many false allegations were levelled against me and my family after I exposed the pastor. He made our life difficult,” she said.
In her complaint in 2018, the woman, who worked as a domestic help, told the police that Bajinder came in contact with her in 2017 and promised to send her aboard. The victim made her associate Jatinderpal Singh and two others pay ₹7 lakh to Bajinder for going abroad. Jatinderpal, however, turned hostile in court. The woman became a part of his team of volunteers who looked after Bajinder’s security at his events. She alleged that Bajinder first raped her at his rented flat in Sector 63, Chandigarh, on September 7, 2017, and recorded a video of the assault. He threatened to post the video on social media if she complained or did not give in to his demands. Afte that, he sexually assaulted her repeatedly.
When she insisted on deletion of video, Bajinder asked his supporters Jatinder, Akbar, Satar Ali, Sucha Singh, Chaudhary and Pehalwan to beat her up, following which the victim alleged they abused and touched her inappropriately.
After the police received the complaint in April 2018, the accused allegedly went underground following which police got a lookout notice issued against him on May 2, 2018. He was arrested from Delhi airport on July 18, 2018, while trying to flee to London.