Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik (pictured above) wrote to the chief minister asking why rape accused Gayatri Prajapati is still in the state Cabinet, PTI reported. Naik, in a letter, asked Akhilesh Yadav to justify why Prajapati remained a state minister. “A non-bailable warrant has been issued against Prajapati after an FIR was registered against him in rape case. Serious question of constitutional morality and dignity arise on his remaining in the cabinet”, his letter said, according to PTI.
“This is serious in nature with Prapatati being a cabinet minister”, he said, adding that he had noticed Yadav asked Prajapati to surrender but that the minister is still missing.
A non-bailable warrant had been issued for the minister’s arrest in a gangrape and sexual harassment case. Prajapati has been on the run for more than a week. Warrants had also been issued for six others accused in the case.
On Friday, airports across the state were put on alert after reports said that Prajapati was planning to leave the country to evade arrest. The Immigration Department and the Sashtra Seema Bal, that guards the state’s border with Nepal, was asked to keep an eye out for the politician.
On February 17, 2017, the Supreme Court had ordered that a First Information Report be filed against Prajapati in connection with a gangrape and sexual harassment case. The apex court had given the state police eight weeks to file a report in the case.
In 2016, the minister was accused of raping a 35-year-old woman and sexually assaulting her daughter for two years. In January 2017, the Election Commission had censured Prajapati for breaching the model code of conduct, which bans “corrupt practices and bribing voters”. In an FIR, the Fatehpur police had said they had seized 4,452 sarees, allegedly meant to be distributed to voters, from a vehicle that was believed to be on its way to the minister’s residence.
In September 2016, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had sacked Prajapati for promoting illegal mining in the state.
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