Former BSP MLA Yogendra Sagar sentenced to life term in 13 yr old rape case

LUCKNOW, (PTI): A special court on Saturday sentenced Yogendra Sagar, a former BSP MLA, to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 in connection with the abduction and rape of a student 13 years ago.

Yogendra Sagar was the BSP MLA from Bilsi seat of Budaun district at the time of the incident.

He was convicted by Judge Akhilesh Kumar for abducting an undergraduate student on April 23, 2008 from Bilsi, and thereafter raping her on multiple occasions, Additional government advocate Madanlal Rajput said.

During the trial, the girl testified that she was kept by Sagar at his government residence in Lucknow, and was raped by him and two other men.

The other two — Tejendra Sagar, and Neeraj alias Minu Sharma – were sentenced to a life term earlier by the court. She said after her abduction she was taken to various places including Delhi, and was repeatedly raped by the three.

As pressure from the police and media mounted, the accused abandoned the student in front of a police station in Muzaffarnagar.

Currently, Yogendra Sagar is in the Bharatiya Janata Party. His son Kushagra Sagar is an MLA from Bisauli assembly constituency, and wife Priti has been a chairperson of the district panchayat.

Yogendra Sagar was till now out on a bail given by the Supreme Court. (PTI)