Days after a special court in Ayodhya acquitted Samajwadi Party leader Moid Khan in the 2024 rape case, police have decided to challenge the verdict in the Allahabad High Court. The court convicted Moid’s servant Raju Khan and sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. The prosecution department will prepare the appeal and forward it to the state government for approval.
In July 2024, the victim's father filed an FIR alleging that Raju Khan took his 12-year-old daughter to the bakery, where Moid Khan first sexually assaulted her while the servant recorded the act on a mobile phone. Raju also raped the victim and threatened her with dire consequences, including circulating the video, if she disclosed the incident. Raju continued to exploit her on multiple occasions, leading to her pregnancy.
The matter came to light when the girl was hospitalized for abdominal pain, where doctors confirmed she was nearly two months pregnant. The accused were arrested and remanded to judicial custody. DNA profiling of the aborted fetus matched Raju but not Moid. In 2024, the district administration demolished Moid's bakery, citing illegal construction on a pond.
On January 28, the court convicted Raju under rape charges and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, while acquitting Moid by giving him the benefit of doubt. The next day, Raju was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment after examining 13 prosecution witnesses.
District Government Counsel Subhash Tripathi stated that there are sufficient grounds for appeal, including lapses in the police investigation, and the prosecution proposes to seek enhancement of Raju's sentence. The department has applied for a certified copy of the judgment to prepare the appeal.
Samajwadi Party's Ayodhya district president Parasnath Yadav claimed Moid was falsely implicated in a politically motivated case to influence the Milkipur by-election. He demanded an apology from the BJP and the Chief Minister. SP national president Akhilesh Yadav posted on X about the demolition, questioning, “Does the BJP have any bulldozer that can rebuild people’s demolished homes and restore the roof of dignity and self-respect?”
