Muzaffarnagar (UP), Jul 21 (PTI) A special court in Muzaffarnagar district on Monday acquitted five persons in a 2009 case of abduction and gang-rape of a minor Dalit girl, citing lack of evidence, a lawyer said.

During the pendency of case, two other accused had died.

Also Read | Jagdeep Dhankhar Resigns as VP: How Is a New Vice President of India Elected? Who Can Cast Vote?.

Special Judge (SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act) Asha Rani Singh acquitted all five people, saying that the prosecution has failed to prove the allegations against them, according to defence lawyer Satyendra Kumar Singh.

Police had filed a chargesheet against seven people Sachin, Renu Singh, Yogendra, Shikhar Chand, Shimla, Bhopal and Jagdish under sections 363 (punishment for kidnapping), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, etc), 376D (gang rape), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the IPC. During pendency of the case, Bhopal and Jagdish died.

Also Read | Maharashtra Weather Forecast: Rainfall Warning Likely During July 21-27 Amid Possible Low-Pressure Area Formation in Bay of Bengal, Check List of Districts Under Orange and Yellow Alert.

It is alleged that a 15-year-old Dalit girl was abducted and gang-raped by six persons, while Shimla facilitated the abduction.

The girl was abducted in a car from a village under Budhana police station in Muzaffarnagar district on August 2, 2009.

According to the defence lawyer, those acquitted by the court are Sachin, Renu Singh, Shikhar Chand, Yogendra and Shimla.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)