Former J&K minister Shabir Ahmad Khan will face trial in a sexual harassment case filed against him by a woman doctor after a city court ruled that there was “sufficient material” on record to proceed against the Congress leader.
“Prima facie, there is sufficient material to presume that accused has committed offence under section 354, 509 RPC and ground exists for holding trial against him,” Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar V S Bhou said on Wednesday.
The court observed that the concluding lines of statement of victim specifically pinpoint the allegations, which fall within the ambit of Sections 354 and 509 RPC.
The woman doctor had alleged that Khan, the then Minister of State for Health, “acted like a sexual predator” and tried to molest her in his office at Winter Secretariat here on January 28 last year. The court directed the prosecution to “lead evidence in substance of charge” on May 16 after Khan pleaded not guilty to the charges. If found guilty, Khan, a former MLA from Rajouri, faces five years in prison and fine.