The Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Judge Om Prakash Mishra, who on April 22 had granted bail to gang rape accused former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, was on Saturday suspended by the Allahabad High Court. The court also ordered a departmental judicial inquiry against the judge.

The Yogi government has also set up a Special Investigation (SIT) team to re-investigate the case. The decision was taken after complaints of a shoddy investigation done by the police allegedly under pressure from the Akhilesh Yadav regime.

Prajapati, a senior Samajwadi Party leader, was arrested on March 14, 2017 on charges of raping a girl from Chitrakoot at his official residence in Lucknow..

Prajapati was granted bail by the Additional Sessions and POSCO Judge Om Prakash Mishra on April 22.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday stayed the bail.

"Yes, the judge has been suspended and an inquiry ordered," Allahabad High Court registrar D K Singh said.

Mishra was suspended for failing to discharge his judicial duties in accordace with the law.

Prajapati and his cronies are accused of raping a girl from Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh who had come to his Lucknow at his official residence for some work in 2014. Her FIR was not lodged during Akhilesh regime forcing her to move to the Supreme Court.

The apex court in its order on February 18, 2017 had directed the UP Police to register a case against the minister and five other accused. Though the police had regiostered a case at Gautampalli police station but till Akhilesh Yadav remained in power the police did not lay its hands on the influential minister.

The Luckow police had finally arrested the ex-minister on March 14, 2017. Gayatri and five others are facing case under sections 376 (D), 376, 511, 504, 506 of the IPC and and 3 / 4 of the POCSO Act.