In a gang-rape case, a special Lucknow court on Friday sentenced Gayatri Prajapati, a former Uttar Pradesh minister, and two others, Ashish Shukla and Ashok Tewari, to life in jail, as well as a punishment of Rs 2 lakh apiece. 

 On November 10, special judge Pawan Kumar Rai found Prajapati, Shukla, and Tewari guilty of gang-raping a Chitrakoot mother and attempting to rape her minor daughter under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses) Act. Due to a lack of evidence, the court exonerated four others: Vikas Varma, Amrendra Singh "Pintu," Chandrapal, and Rupeshwar "Rupesh."  

On February 18, 2017, a woman from Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh filed a FIR against Prajapati and his six associates for allegedly gang-raping her and attempting to rape her 17-year-old daughter at his official residence in Gautampalli, Lucknow, between 2015 and 2016, when he was the mining minister and a member of the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh. The former minister was arrested for rape and other serious charges, including violating sections of the POCSO Act, after the Supreme Court issued an order. Since March 15, 2017, Prajapati has been imprisoned. 

On February 17, 2017, a Supreme Court bench led by Justice AK Sikri directed the Uttar Pradesh police to conduct an investigation and submit a sealed report to the court within eight weeks. A petition filed by the survivor resulted to the Supreme Court's decision. During the family feud in the Samajwadi Party, then-chief minister Akhilesh Yadav dismissed Prajapati from his cabinet in 2016. Later, he was rehired. The woman was repeatedly raped between October 2014 and July 2016, according to the survivor's counsel in the Supreme Court. 

According to the survivor's lawyer, the wife filed a complaint after the minister tried to violate her minor daughter's modesty. When she saw the former minister in 2013 for a mining deal, the survivor said she was raped as well. She further claimed that Prajapati threatened to make public obscene photos of her and raped her many times over the course of three years. 

 In May 2017, the BJP appointed a special investigation team (SIT) in the state to go into the allegations against the former minister. Gayatri Prajapati is also being investigated for violations in his ministry under the previous Samajwadi Party government, when he served as mining minister. 

TIMELINE OF THE CASE: 

2013: During Ganga Aarti at Ram Ghat in Chitrakoot, the woman met Gayatri Prajapati. 

 2014 to 2016: She had been raped several times. 

 October 17, 2016: Survivor submitted a gang rape report with the DGP of Uttar Pradesh Police. After her complaint went unanswered, the survivor went to the Supreme Court to file a formal complaint against the defendants. 

 February 17, 2017: The Supreme Court has ordered the Uttar Pradesh Police Department to file a formal complaint. 

 July 18, 2017: Gayatri Prajapati, Ashok Tewari, Ashish Shukla, and others have been charged. 

 November 10, 2021: Gayatri Prajapati, Ashok Tewari, and Ashish Shukla were found guilty by a special judge (MP/MLA) court. Due to a lack of evidence, the court acquits Vikas Varma, Amrendra Singh "Pintu," Chandrapal, and Rupeshwar "Rupesh" of all charges. 

 November 12, 2021: Gayatri Prajapati, Ashok Tewari, and Ashish Shukla have been sentenced to life in jail by the court.