‘Rape’ case: Date sought from FSL for voice sampling of Sitapur MP

Uttar Pradesh Police seek a voice sampling test date for Congress MP Rakesh Rathore, accused of rape, as his judicial custody is extended to February 24.

The Uttar Pradesh Police have sought a date from the state forensic science laboratory (FSL), Mahanagar, Lucknow to conduct a voice sampling test of Congress MP from Sitapur, Rakesh Rathore, in a case involving allegations of rape against him, said senior police and prosecution officials on Thursday.

Congress MP from Sitapur Rakesh Rathore was arrested on January 30 on rape charges. (For Representation)

“The police are likely to get the date by next week,” they added. They said a local court on Tuesday, however, extended the MP’s judicial custody and so he will remain in jail till February 24 before which the police are trying to carry out the voice sample test.

Earlier, the MP was sent to judicial custody till February 11. He was arrested from his Sitapur residence on January 30 after remaining elusive for around 2 weeks.

The police were searching for him after a 45-year-old woman lodged an FIR with Sitapur City Kotwali on January 17, alleging that he raped her multiple times in the past four years, promising to marry her and make her political career.

The FIR was lodged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 64 (rape), 351 (3) (criminal intimidation) and 327 (2) (threatening using a firearm).

“We have already applied for the date with FSL, Mahanagar, Lucknow, so that proper and clear voice sampling could be done. Although the MP had confessed that it was his voice in the recorded telephonic conversation that the complainant had presented before the police as evidence in support of her allegations, voice sample test will be carried out to authenticate things while filing chargesheet and later for the court trial, ” said inspector in-charge of Sitapur City Kotwali, Anoop Shukla, who is investigation officer (IO) in the case.

He said the MP would be taken to the FSL lab after procuring permission from the competent court once the police get the date for the voice sampling test.

The cop said further investigation in the case was going on and the focus was on filing a strong chargesheet in the matter. “We mentioned the same things before the local MP/MLA court after which the MP’s judicial custody was extended till February 24,” he added.

Sitapur district government counsel Prashant Shukla confirmed that the MP/MLA court Judge Dinesh Kumar Nagar had earlier rejected the bail petition of the Congress MP after hearing the arguments of defence and prosecution counsel on February 5.

He said the defence counsel approached the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court to get relief in the case in the form of bail to the MP.

The MP had been elusive after registration of the FIR amid attempts to get anticipatory bail in the case, but the Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court on January 29 turned down his petition for anticipatory bail and directed him to surrender in the Sitapur district and sessions court within two weeks’ time.

The next day, the Sitapur police arrested him from his house while he was addressing a press conference to clarify his stand over the allegations.