SC to hear plea for judicial probe into Banda girl rape
The Supreme Court has agreed to consider a plea for a judicial inquiry into the alleged rape of a girl by Uttar Pradesh BSP MLA Purushottam Naresh Dwivedi in Banda.
A bench of Chief Justice S H Kapadia on Monday decided to consider the desirability of a judicial probe into the incident as senior counsel Harish Salve, during the hearing of another plea linked to the issue of police reform, mentioned the incident, seeking an independent probe into it.
The bench asked Salve to file a formal application before the court for the probe before Friday when it would examine it.
During the hearing of a plea for expeditious implementation of September 2006 directions of the apex court on police reform, Salve mentioned the incident involving the BSP legislator and sought an inquiry by the Allahabad district judge or by someone from "outside the area".
He also sought the court's directions for a probe report to the bench within a week.
48-year-old Dwivedi was arrested in Banda last week for allegedly raping a 17-year-old Dalit girl who earlier worked as his maid.
The girl was allegedly raped on 10th and 11th December at the legislators's residence from where she escaped on 12th December when the MLA allegedly attempted to rape her again for the third time.
The girl, however, was arrested by the police in connection with an allegedly cooked up case of theft lodged by the legislator's brother against her.
The girl had told her brother about the incident when she was produced before the court on 24th December in connection with theft charge.
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