Court acquits ex-Cong MP, others in kidnapping and rape case

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A fast track court today acquitted former Congress MP Mahabal Mishra, his family members and others in a case of alleged kidnapping and rape of a minor girl in 2006, citing lack of evidence.
Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat absolved Mishra and seven others, including his wife Urmila, daughter Kiran and brother Heera Mishra, of the charges.
"All the accused have been acquitted," the judge said, while pronouncing the verdict.
Mahabal and the others, who were out on bail, were present in the court room at the time of pronouncement of the judgement.
The politician and his family members were summoned as accused by the court on February 4, 2013 in the case in which they had been accused of wrongfully confining a minor girl. The case relates to an alleged incident of November 2006.

A magisterial court in 2008 and a sessions court in 2010 had declined to summon Mishra in the case on the ground of lack of evidence and legal provisions.
The Delhi High Court in 2012, however, had set aside the trial court order and directed it to consider the case afresh after the girl's father had sought initiation of prosecution of Mishra, his family members and others.
The High Court had set aside the orders of the sessions and the magisterial courts, saying they were "not based on proper appreciation of the material available on record.