A Mohali court on Tuesday sentenced self-proclaimed Punjab pastor Bajinder Singh to life imprisonment in the 2018 Zirakpur rape case. His conviction was announced last week.
Pastor Bajinder was found guilty under Sections 376 (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
Meanwhile, five other accused in the case—Pastor Jatinder, Pastor Akbar, Sattar Ali, and Sandeep Pehalwan—were acquitted.
Reacting to the verdict, the victim in the case said, “He (Bajinder) is a psycho and will do the same offense after coming out of jail, so I want him to stay in the prison. A lot of girls (victims) have won today. I request that DGP ensure our security since there is a possibility of attacks on us.”
Earlier, she had called for a minimum of 20 years of imprisonment for the accused.
Advocate Anil Sagar, representing the victim, stressed the importance of imposing an exemplary punishment.
“There is a punishment of 10-20 years for the offense of rape depending upon the circumstances of the case. In this case, I pray for the highest quantum because this person used to lure people in the name of religion. It is important to punish him exemplarily. I hope that after this, the girls who are facing such crimes will come forth and speak about the atrocities,” he said.
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2018 Rape Case Against Pastor Bajinder
The case dates back to 2018 when a woman from Zirakpur accused Pastor Bajinder of sexually assaulting her under the pretense of assisting her with travel abroad.
She alleged that he recorded an explicit video of her and later threatened to release it on social media if she did not comply with his demands. Bajinder was granted bail in the case.
The complainant had previously claimed she was being pressured to withdraw her statement. Meanwhile, supporters of the self-proclaimed godman staged large-scale protests, asserting that the allegations were false and that he was innocent.
Bajinder Also Booked in Assault Case
In February, Punjab Police registered another FIR against Pastor Bajinder Singh following a complaint from a woman named Ranjeet Kaur, who accused him of assault.
According to police officials, the alleged incident occurred after a prayer session, during which Kaur claimed she and others were mistreated and physically attacked. She further stated that she was assaulted while attempting to intervene in an attack on another attendee at the gathering.
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