1992 Ajmer Sex Scandal:
Nafis Chishti, Naseem alias Tarzan, and four other perpetrators were sentenced to life imprisonment for their roles in the 1992 Ajmer sex scandal. The case presented a significant challenge for the police as it was difficult to bring victims forward and preserve the evidence. Many victims left their homes and the city due to fear and social stigma. Items like beds and condoms, which were crucial evidence, started to emit foul odors. Despite the challenges, the police, with the help of relatives, managed to contact the victims and persuade them to testify through phone surveillance.
Assistant Director of Prosecution Vijay Singh Rathore has been handling the case since 2020, succeeding about 12 other prosecutors. He mentioned that over 100 schoolgirls were victimized by the perpetrators, but the prosecution and police could only convince 16 victims to testify. Out of these, 13 retracted their statements in court due to the influence of the accused. Thus, the court relied on the victims' previous statements to proceed with the case.
Evidence Preserved for 32 Years
Prosecution lawyer Virendra Singh explained that preserving the evidence collected from the farm house during 1992 was a big challenge for the police. Items like condoms, cameras, diaries, beds, cassettes, clothes, etc., were kept as evidence and produced in court four times during four trials over the years. After 32 years, the beds started to emit foul odors.
Over 100 Girls Were Raped
Ajmer's Special POCSO Court sentenced six more individuals to life imprisonment for their involvement in the scandal. Over 100 girls were raped and blackmailed. Judge Ranjan Singh also imposed a fine of INR 500,000 on each accused.
Source: aajtak
Virendra Singh, the prosecution lawyer, said that Nafis Chishti, Naseem alias Tarzan, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Gani, and Saeed Jameer Hussain were found guilty of involvement in the crime. Iqbal Bhati, who was ill, was brought to Ajmer Court from Delhi in an ambulance.
The 1992 Ajmer Sex Scandal
The Ajmer sex scandal came to light in 1992. A group targeted school and college girls aged between 11 and 20, befriended them, took their objectionable photos, and later raped them. The victims were students of a renowned private school in Ajmer and were lured to a farmhouse where they were assaulted.
The case involved 18 accused. The first charge sheet was filed against 12 of them. Naseem alias Tarzan absconded in 1994, and Zahoor Chishti was found guilty under Section 377 for unnatural sexual relations with a boy, which was transferred to another court.
Farooq Chishti, who later developed schizophrenia, was tried separately and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2007. One of the accused committed suicide, and the remaining eight were sentenced to life imprisonment by the court in 1998.
The second charge sheet was filed against Nafis Chishti, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Gani, Saeed Jameer Hussain, and Almas Maharaj. Almas is still absconding. The remaining five, along with Naseem alias Tarzan (named in the first charge sheet), were sentenced to life imprisonment. Other accused had either completed their sentences or were acquitted by the courts.
Virendra Singh mentioned that a separate trial was conducted for these six individuals as the investigation against them was pending when the first charge sheet was filed.
