CBI court acquits all 15 accused in 2005 Mau riots gangrape case in UP
The CBI court absolved advocate Triveni Prasad and 14 other persons from charges of rape as the CBI could not substantiate its charges levelled in the chargesheet.
A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Saturday acquitted 15 people in an 18-year-old gangrape case related to the 2005 riots in Uttar Pradesh’s Mau district, once considered a bastion of jailed mafioso Mukhtar Ansari.
During the trial of the case, both Hindus and Muslims of Mau had recorded their statements in favour of the 15 accused persons. (Representative Image)
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In a late-night verdict on Saturday, the CBI court absolved advocate Triveni Prasad and 14 other persons from charges of rape as the CBI could not substantiate its charges levelled in the chargesheet.
During the trial of the case, both Hindus and Muslims of Mau, including men and women, had recorded their statements in favour of all 15 persons.
“After one and a half months of the Mau riots, a rape case was lodged against 15 persons of Mau, including myself, under pressure of the then government and Mukhtar Ansari,” said Triveni Prasad.
“The court’s verdict also raises a question mark on the CBI’s chargesheet,” he added.
The CBI filed the chargesheet on October 4, 2010. All 15 persons had spent 18 months in prison after they were arrested in 2005 before getting bail.
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A case against one accused Sunoj Chauhan, who was a minor at the time of filing of the first information report (FIR), is pending in a juvenile court.
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A case against one accused Sunoj Chauhan, who was a minor at the time of filing of the first information report (FIR), is pending in a juvenile court.
Pawan Dixit, Assistant Editor, brings over 20 years of frontline reporting experience to the newsroom. A specialist on Uttar Pradesh politics and governance, he has reported from the ground across the state’s most consequential stories. He cut his teeth in eastern UP, spending 15 years covering the region. Based in Varanasi, he reported the 2012 UP Assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that reshaped the state’s political map. Moving to Lucknow in 2016, he has since led coverage of the 2017 and 2022 UP Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. His reporting tracks the BJP’s strategy, opposition moves, and voter sentiment across all 75 districts. Pawan has been a constant presence in Ayodhya since 2016. He reported the entire arc of the Ram Mandir movement — from the legal fight to the Supreme Court verdict, through temple construction, to the inauguration. He continues to track every development at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. On the state beat, he covers the BJP, the Industrial Development Department, and handles key outstation political assignments. He also reports major cases from the district court, Lucknow bench of the High Court, and the State Information Commission. Along with this, he also reports on NGT's important decisions related to UP. Known for sharp sourcing and clear analysis, Pawan connects politics, policy, infrastructure and faith — the forces driving UP today. He has reported developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir movement since 2016. The Supreme Court's Ram Mandir verdict, temple construction and the its opening have been reported by him.
He reports all developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir Trust.
He covers state BJP, Industrial development department, outstation political assignments, reports special cases from district court, high court and state information commission
