Judge suspended after granting bail to rape-accused Prajapati

Additional Sessions Judge Om Prakash Mishra who granted bail to the rape accused Samajwadi Party leader and former minister Gayatri Prajapati was suspended on 28 April.

The court has also ordered a departmental inquiry against the judge.

According to reports, Justice Sudhir Agarwal will conduct the probe against the judge. The news was confirmed by Registrar general D.K. Singh.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday stayed the bail given to Prajapati in a rape case by a local court.

Prajapati, who was arrested in connection with a case of an alleged sexual assault of a minor girl, was released from the district jail in Lucknow earlier on Wednesday.

Prajapati was earlier granted bail by a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court, Lucknow.

Two associates of Prajapati were also given bail. The court asked them to furnish two sureties of Rs one lakh each and a personal bond of same amount as a condition of bail.

Prajapati was arrested on March 15 from the Aashiyana area in Lucknow by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF).

The Samajwadi Party leader, who was also accused of allegedly raping the girl's mother, evaded his arrest for nearly a month before he was arrested.

Earlier in February, a police complaint had been filed against the former minister and six others in the case following the Supreme Court's order.

The Uttar Pradesh Police had also filed a non- bailable warrant against the former minister and six others for the same.

-ANI