UP court awards priest life imprisonment for raping college student

According to government counsel Rajiv Sharma, the second-year college student was kidnapped in 2016 when she had gone to offer prayers at the local temple.

A local court in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday awarded life imprisonment to a priest after convicting him for abducting and raping a college student. Additional District Sessions Court judge Chotelal Yadav also imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on the accused, identified as Premchand Goswami.

Additional District Sessions Court judge Chotelal Yadav also imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on the accused, identified as Premchand Goswami.

According to government counsel Rajiv Sharma, the second-year college student was kidnapped in 2016 when she had gone to offer prayers at the local temple.

The police registered a case against Goswami, the temple priest, and the student was traced after four months, Sharma said. The victim told the police that the priest had raped her several times during this period. He also kept changing his hideout, the government counsel said.

Following an investigation, the police filed a chargesheet and the court convicted Goswami after hearing arguments from both sides.