Former Akali minister Langah acquitted in rape case

Former SAD minister Sucha Singh Langah was acquitted today by a Gurdaspur court in a rape case filed against him by a lady constable.

Langah was present in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Prem Kumar when the judgement was pronounced.

The former minister was represented by defence counsels Santokh Singh Basra and Karanjit Singh.

"It was a totally falsified case registered against me at the time of parliamentary elections. It was an act of political vendetta," Langah said.

The alleged victim, a police constable, had filed a complaint with the then SSP Harcharan Singh Bhullar in September last year claiming she was repeatedly raped by the Akali leader.

As evidence, she also handed over a video clip to the SSP.

She also got her confessional statement recorded under section 164 of the CrPC in front of a judge.

The video, however, went viral during the Gurdaspur by-polls severely denting the image of the SAD-BJP combine.

After a preliminary inquiry was conducted by then DSP (city) A D Singh, the police booked the SAD leader on September 29 at the Gurdaspur (city) police station under various sections of the IPC, including 376 (rape), 384 (extortion), 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

Langah, who was removed as Gurdaspur district SAD president soon after the case was registered, now stands exonerated of all charges.

The prosecution produced 23 witnesses in the court while the defence did not produce even a single witness.