Rape charges against BSP MP: Court to hear arguments on 18 Feb

New Delhi: A Delhi court has fixed 18 February for hearing arguments on framing of charges against BSP MP Dhananjay Singh who has been named in a charge sheet for allegedly raping a 42-year-old woman for nearly four years. [caption id=“attachment_1386699” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  BSP MP Dhananjay Singh. PTI[/caption] The matter was transferred to a sessions court after a magisterial court had taken cognisance on the charge sheet filed by Delhi Police against Singh, a sitting MP from Jaunpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh. The charge sheet was filed against Singh for offences under various penal provisions of the IPC, including 376(2)(h) (rape knowing that a woman is pregnant) and 376 (2)(n) (repeatedly raping the same woman), 377 (unnatural offence), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation). Additional Sessions Judge Sarita Birbal has now fixed 18 February for hearing arguments. “Put up this case for arguments on charge on February 18,” the court said. The complaint was filed against Singh by the woman, a railway employee, after the MP and his wife Jagriti Singh, a dental surgeon at a government hospital, were arrested last November in connection with their maid’s murder case in which charge sheet was recently filed. The police, in its charge sheet against Singh in the rape case, has alleged that he had repeatedly raped the woman between July 2005 and March 2009. Referring to the complaint filed by the woman, police had alleged that the victim was raped several times by Singh at gunpoint and was threatened with dire consequences if she reported the matter. It also said that the husband of the complainant was a businessman and was known to Singh and through him, she had first met the accused in February 2005. Singh was arrested by police in connection with the rape case on November 21 last year and he is currently in judicial custody. In its charge sheet, police arrayed 13 persons, including three doctors, as prosecution witnesses and has also filed the statement given by the victim before a magistrate under section 164 of the CrPC. PTI