E-Paper
Supreme Court refuses to entertain ex-UP minister's plea seeking default bail
Gayatri Prajapati filed plea in the top court seeking default bail in connection with a money laundering case being probed by the ED.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a petition filed by former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prajapti, through which he sought default bail in connection with a money laundering case. A two-judge bench of the top court, comprising Justice KM Joseph and Justice P Narasimha said that the appropriate remedy in the matter would lie with the Allahabad high court.
The former minister moved apex court after a Special court in Lucknow declined his petition for default bail. Additionally, the Special court also granted his custody to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over charges of money laundering in a case related to the alleged possession of disproportionate assets.
On January 14 this year, the ED began its investigation into charges against Prajapati.
The development comes just a week after Prajapti, along with two others, was convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment, over charges of gang-raping a woman in Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh. The court also slapped a fine of ₹2 lakh each on those convicted, though it absolved four others due to lack of evidence against them.
Also Read | Former UP minister Gayatri Prajapati, 2 others get life term in gang-rape case
On February 18, 2017, the woman filed an FIR against Prajapti, who was a minister in the previous Samajwadi Party government, and his six associates, accusing them of gang-raping her, and trying to outrage the modesty of her minor daughter. The complaint stated that the crime took place at his official residence in Lucknow when he was still a minister in the state government, holding the mining portfolio. Prajapati was a member of the ruling dispensation from 2015 to 2016.
(with ANI inputs)
