UP: Former Congress Seva Dal leader sentenced to life imprisonment in Dalit woman rape case

Dalit woman kept fighting for justice for 7 years, court convicted Congress leader Achhan Khan and sentenced him to life imprisonment

Published on: 05 May 2025, 10:08 am

Lucknow: A special court in Ambedkar Nagar on Saturday sentenced former Congress Seva Dal official Achhan Khan (50 years) to life imprisonment for raping a Dalit woman who was his colleague. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 22,000 on the accused. In case of not paying the fine, he will have to undergo an additional imprisonment of three months.

Special Judge (SC/ST Act) Ram Vilas Singh convicted Achchan Khan under sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and sections of the Scheduled Castes/Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The verdict comes nearly seven years after the first complaint of sexual assault was lodged.

According to Special Public Prosecutor Sudeep Mishra, the victim, who was a grassroots worker of the Congress, alleged that Achchan Khan barged into her house and raped her on the evening of September 12, 2018. The victim told the court that the accused, who knew her from party work, physically assaulted her, used casteist slurs and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.

The victim said she pleaded for justice — lodged a complaint at the Akhbarpur police station and also approached the then Superintendent of Police — but no action was taken. Neither an FIR was filed, nor was a medical examination conducted.

The woman also alleged that on September 17, 2020, Achchan Khan called her to Haria area under Basakhri police station and raped her again. This time, the accused took objectionable photographs of her and threatened to make them viral on the internet if she approached the law. The victim says that one such semi-nude photograph was actually circulated on social media, causing her further mental trauma.

Frustrated with the police’s continued negligence, the victim sent a registered complaint to the Ambedkar Nagar SP on 31 October 2020, but received no response. She then approached the local court, which directed the Basakheri police to register an FIR. The case was registered on 20 September 2021 and the chargesheet was filed on 28 January 2022.

Public Prosecutor Mishra said, “The victim’s detailed and consistent testimony given in the court formed the strong basis of the prosecution.” He further added, “Despite the initial negligence of the police, we ensured a conviction on the basis of her testimony and the available evidence.”

The court also acknowledged that the delay by the police in not taking the complaint seriously certainly affected the investigation, but it did not affect the credibility of the victim.