Ex-SAD leader Langah acquitted in rape case

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, July 30

Former SAD minister and SGPC ex-member Sucha Singh Langah was on Monday acquitted by the court of Additional Sessions Judge Prem Kumar in a rape case filed against him by a Punjab Police employee.

“The truth has triumphed. I had been saying all along that it was sheer vendetta by my opponents,” said Langah as he came out of the court.

The complainant had on September 28 last year claimed she was repeatedly raped by the Akali leader, handing over a video tape to the SSP as evidence. After a preliminary inquiry by then DSP (City) AD Singh, a case was filed against Langah the following day (September 29) under Sections 376 (rape), 384 (extortion), 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

He was removed as Gurdaspur district SAD president soon after.

The prosecution produced 23 witnesses in the court. The defence did not produce any. The case fell flat in February after the complainant retracted her statement. She reportedly told the judge she was not the woman in the video tape.