Chandigarh: In a big setback for self-styled Christian pastor Bajinder Singh, a Mohali court on Tuesday sentenced him to 20 years in imprisonment in the 2018 Zirakpur rape case. Pastor Bajinder Singh of 'Glory and Wisdom' church in Tajpur village was convicted by the court on March 28.
Meanwhile, the court had acquitted five other accused in the case. After receiving the complaint from the victim, Bajinder was booked under sections 76, 420, 354, 294, 323, 506, 148, and 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
"He was popular as a spiritual leader. His followers used to call him 'Papa ji'. When this kind of crime is committed by such a person, an exemplary punishment must be given. We are satisfied with the quantum of sentence, which is life imprisonment. He has to stay behind bars until his last breath," the woman's lawyer Anil Sagar told reporters.
Lawyer's Statement:
The woman complaint that she started visiting the Church in 2017. She had further alleged that after some time, Bajinder took her number and started texting her. She said that she could not reveal the conversations to anyone because she was afraid of him.
The survivor also alleged hat the pastor made her sit alone in a cabin in the church on Sundays and molested her. In the complaint, the woman alleged that she was raped by the pastor at his Mohali residence and even made the video of the crime. He allegedly threatened to post the video online if she revealed about the incident to anyone.
Earlier this month, responding to the woman's charges, Singh had called the allegation "false and baseless".
Singh has a strong presence on social media with a huge followers list. His popularity gained after memes were made about him. He has shared several pictures with Bollywood actors and politicians as well.
