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)

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.

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.