Former Haryana Minister Challenges Move to Include IPC Section 376 in Ongoing Case

Former Haryana minister Sandeep Singh has opposed a petition filed by the Union Territory (UT) public prosecutor seeking to modify the charges against him in an ongoing harassment case. The petition requests the inclusion of Section 376 (attempt to rape) along with Section 511 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and seeks to transfer the case to a sessions court, where such offences are triable. The UT public prosecutor had submitted the application during a previous hearing in a Chandigarh court. The plea argued that the material already on judicial record—including the victim’s statement recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and her examination-in-chief before the court—contains clear, consistent, and serious allegations against the accused. Based on this, the prosecution sought the addition of more stringent charges. However, counsel representing Sandeep Singh strongly opposed the application, stating that it was an attempt to delay the proceedings. The defence argued that the accused has been falsely implicated and that there is no evidence on record to justify invoking IPC Sections 376 and 511 in the present case. The defence further contended that the complainant did not mention such allegations in her initial complaint to the police, on the basis of which the FIR was registered. It was also pointed out that a similar plea filed earlier by the complainant had been dismissed by a court order dated July 29, 2024. That order, the defence argued, was neither challenged by the complainant nor by the state in a sessions court and has since attained finality. The case dates back to December 31, 2022, when the police registered an FIR against the former minister under IPC Sections 354, 354-A, 354-B, 342, 506, and 509 based on a complaint filed by a former coach. In her statement to the Chandigarh Police, the complainant alleged that on July 1, 2022, the minister molested her at his official residence. She further claimed that when she resisted, he pushed her and tore her T-shirt. She managed to escape from the scene. The matter remains under judicial consideration, with both sides continuing to present their arguments before the court.