GURGAON: A trial court in Delhi has framed charges against Gurgaon MLA Umesh Aggarwal and two others, including a woman, in the alleged rape of a Tilak Nagar resident that took place in a Faridabad hotel in January this year.

The court of additional sessions judge, Nivedita Anil Sharma, at Tis Hazari complex on Friday charged Aggarwal and Sandeep Luthra for drugging the woman and raping her, and Rekha Rani for abetting the crime. The three have pleaded not guilty and the trial will now go on. The next date of hearing is on October 1.

While framing the charges, the court observed that prima facie it appeared Aggarwal drugged the woman in his hotel room and then he and Luthra raped her in the intervening night of January 3 and 4, while Rani facilitated the crime by bringing the Delhi woman there.

The trio had also reportedly threatened the rape survivor of dire consequences if she revealed the incident to anyone.

Aggarwal and Luthra have been charged under sections 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc. with intent to commit an offence) 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC, and Rekha Rani under sections 328, 376 and 109 (abetment to crime) of the IPC.

The rape survivor had alleged that the incident took place during a BJP event in the city, in which chief minister ML Khattar and other senior party leaders had also participated.

“From the material on record especially the complaint as well as other statements of the prosecutrix (the rape survivor) and other witnesses under section 161 CrPC and two statements under section 164 of the CrPC, prima facie it appears that accused Sandeep Luthra has committed offences under sections 328, 376, 506/34 IPC, accused Umesh Aggarwal has committed offences under sections 328, 376, 506/34 IPC and accused Rani has committed offences under sections 328, 376 read with section 109 IPC,” the court said.

The court has also asked the SHO of Tilak Nagar police station to ensure that the exhibits of the case and the Forensic Science Laboratory report are collected and produced before it on the next date of hearing on October 1.

When contacted, Aggarwal who was elected to Haryana assembly from Gurgaon in 2014, told TOI that he was yet to read the court’s observations and would not like to comment for the time being.

