Amritsar (Punjab), Apr 1: A special court in Punjab’s Mohali on Tuesday sentenced self-proclaimed Christian pastor Bajinder Singh to life imprisonment till death after convicting him in a rape case registered against him in Zirakpur town in 2018.
Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Vikrant Gupta delivered the judgment as Bajinder, who runs the Church of Glory and Wisdom in Mohali, was brought from Patiala jail and presented before the court under tight security.
Notably, the verdict was delivered by Additional District and Sessions Judge Vikrant Kumar last Friday. Kumar convicted Singh (42) under Sections 376 (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Later, he was sent to Patiala jail.
On the other hand, five other accused in the case — pastor Jatinder, pastor Akbar, Sattar Ali, and Sandeep Pehalwan — were acquitted last Friday.
Life imprisonment till death signifies a life sentence with no possibility of parole or release, meaning the individual will remain incarcerated until natural death.
It is worth mentioning that the case was registered in 2018 when a woman from Zirakpur lodged a complaint. She alleged that Singh assaulted her sexually under the pretence of helping her travel abroad.
She further alleged that he recorded an obscene video of her and threatened to post it on social media if she did not fulfill his demands.
The Mohali court had issued a non-bailable warrant against Singh on March 3.
The self-styled pastor was booked on charges of sexual assault and stalking in Kapurthala on February 28. Based on the complaint of a 22-year-old woman, Kapurthala police had registered an FIR under Sections 354-A (sexual harassment), 354-D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
