2020 rape case: Ex-UP MLA Vijay Mishra sentenced to 15 years in jail for rape of singer

“Vijay Mishra was brought to the court under tight security and Justice Subodh Singh sentenced him to 15 years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs one lakh on him,” Bhadohi District Government Counsel Dinesh Pandey said.

The verdict came a day after the court declared Mishra guilty of the crime under IPC sections 376-2(N) (repeatedly committing rape on the same woman) and 506 (criminal intimidation). The court, however, acquitted Mishra’s son Vishnu and his nephew Jyoti alias Vikas, giving them the benefit of the doubt. Vishnu faces charges related to land grabbing and is lodged in the Lakhimpur Kheri jail.

According to the prosecution, the rape case dates back to October 18, 2020, when the victim alleged that in 2014, Mishra had called her to perform at a programme at his house and raped her. The complainant further claimed that after the assault, Mishra asked his son and nephew to drop her home, where they allegedly raped her again.

The victim alleged that Mishra repeatedly raped her since then, using threats to maintain control over her, said the prosecution.

Vijay Mishra had a total of 83 criminal cases registered against him on various charges, including murder, robbery, kidnapping, rape, and forgery, in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Currently, he has 21 cases pending in different courts, including 15 in Bhadohi district court.

On October 17, a Bhadohi court sentenced Mishra to two years of imprisonment in an Arms Act case registered against him in 2011.

On March 18, a Prayagraj court handed down a five-year prison sentence to Mishra in another Arms Act case from 2009.

In August 2020, Bhadohi police arrested Mishra in Agar Malwa district of Madhya Pradesh in connection with a land-grabbing case. Mishra’s wife Ramlali and son Vishnu were also booked based on a complaint from their relative Krishna Mohan Tiwari, who accused them of grabbing his property in Bhadohi.

In May last year, police booked Mishra, his wife, their daughter, and three others for an alleged conspiracy to murder Gyanpur MLA Vipul Dubey. Mishra, who contested from jail on a Pragatisheel Manav Samaj Party ticket, lost to NISHAD Party candidate Dubey in the 2022 UP Assembly elections.

Bhadohi police have reportedly seized properties worth over Rs 50 crore linked to Mishra and his family under the UP Gangsters’ Act. Last year, they confiscated a villa belonging to the family in Lucknow under the Uttar Pradesh Gangster Act and the Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act.