Uttar Pradesh govt to challenge Samajwadi Party leader's acquittal in Ayodhya gangrape case

Ayodhya: The Uttar Pradesh government is preparing to challenge the acquittal of Samajwadi Party leader Moeed Khan in the high-profile Ayodhya gangrape case before the Allahabad High Court, special public prosecutor Virendra Kumar said on Saturday.

An Ayodhya special POCSO court on Thursday acquitted Khan in a 2024 case involving the alleged gangrape of a 12-year-old girl, while sentencing his domestic help to 20 years' imprisonment.

The case came to light after the minor was found pregnant during a medical examination, triggering a political controversy in the state.

Talking to reporters here, Kumar said the prosecution would move the high court against the POCSO court's decision.

"The court's decision to acquit Moeed Khan will be challenged in the high court. We will continue to fight the case," he said.

Acquitting Khan in the case, Special Judge (POCSO) Nirupama Vikram held that the evidence on record, including the DNA report, did not establish the charges against him. However, the court convicted his domestic help, Raju Khan, and sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment after his DNA was found to match that of the foetus.

The victim's mother alleged lapses in the police investigation, claiming negligence led to Khan being acquitted. She also alleged that the DNA report was changed and doctored.

Terming the 20-year sentence to Raju as "inadequate", she demanded the death penalty for him.

Meanwhile, the SP leader's son, Zaheer Khan, said the family was preparing for what he described as "strong advocacy" in the high court. He also claimed that a multi-storey shopping complex with around 50 shops, which was demolished by the district administration after the case came to light, did not belong to his father but to his uncle Asgar Ali, who lives in the UK.

"The bulldozer action will be challenged in court. The action taken under the Gangster Act, which was based on the gangrape case, will also be challenged," he said.

He alleged political rivalry behind his father's implication, claiming Moeed Khan's name was not mentioned in the initial FIR and was added later. He further said that while it was alleged that a video of the incident had been made, no such video was produced as evidence during the trial.

Speaking to reporters, Zaheer Khan said leaders of the Samajwadi Party did not come forward to support the family during the crisis, claiming that neither Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad nor party president Akhilesh Yadav met the family or offered assistance after the incident.

"The court has acquitted my father, but even today, we have to convince people that he did not commit the crime. If he is innocent, then how was a case under the Gangster Act filed against him?" he said.

Although acquitted in the gangrape case, Moeed Khan continues to remain in jail in connection with a separate case under the Gangster Act, officials said.