Apr 01, 2025 12:08 PM IST
Life imprisonment till death signifies a life sentence with no possibility of parole or release, meaning the individual will remain incarcerated until natural death.
A Mohali court on Tuesday sentenced self-styled pastor, Bajinder Singh, 42, to life imprisonment till death in a rape case registered against him in Zirakpur town in 2018.
Additional district and sessions judge (ADSJ) Vikrant Gupta pronounced the judgment as Bajinder, who runs the Church of Glory and Wisdom in Mohali, was brought from Patiala jail and produced before him amid tight security.
Life imprisonment till death signifies a life sentence with no possibility of parole or release, meaning the individual will remain incarcerated until natural death.
Bajinder was convicted under Sections 376 (rape), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code on March 28 and sent to Patiala jail.
Five other accused in the case — pastor Jatinder, pastor Akbar, Sattar Ali, and Sandeep Pehalwan — were acquitted last Friday.
The case dates back to 2018, when a woman from Zirakpur lodged a complaint, alleging that Bajinder sexually assaulted her under the pretence of helping her travel abroad. She claimed that he recorded an obscene video of her. She alleged that the accused had threatened to post the video on social media if she did not agree to his demands. Bajinder was out on bail in the case.
The Mohali court issued a non-bailable warrant against Bajinder on March 3.
On February 28 last month, Bajinder was booked on the charges of sexual assault and stalking in Kapurthala, based on a complaint by a 22-year-old woman. Kapurthala police registered an FIR under Sections 354-A (sexual harassment), 354-D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Kapurthala city police station. He is yet to be arrested in this case.
