Chandigarh, Apr 01, 2025, IANS

Chandigarh, March 28 (IANS) A Mohali court on Tuesday sentenced Christian preacher Bajinder Singh to life imprisonment in a 2018 rape case. The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Vikrant Kumar pronounced the verdict in the case where a woman alleged that the 'Yeshu Yeshu Prophet' had established non-consensual sexual relations with her on the pretext of taking her abroad. The pastor also made an obscene video of her, the victim had alleged. The court held Bajinder Singh, 42, who is based in Jalandhar, guilty on March 28. A case was registered against the pastor in Zirakpur, near here in Mohali district, on April 20, 2018, under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology (IT) Act. Besides the pastor, five others, including pastors Pastor Jatinder and Akbar, Sattar Ali, and Sandeep Pehelwan, were also booked. Baljinder Singh, known for claiming to heal ailments through miracles, appeared before the court on Monday, after which the verdict was reserved. In February this year, the pastor was booked on charges of sexual harassment of another woman. A video of his slapping a woman, a Mohali resident who worked with his organisation, in his Chandigarh office, surfaced on March 16 and went viral. The woman had earlier filed a complaint against the pastor, alleging sexual misconduct at his Jalandhar-based church, the Church of Glory and Wisdom. She claimed he started sending her inappropriate messages, summoned her alone to his cabin, and engaged in unwanted advances. Police have formed a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by Superintendent of Police Rupinder Kaur, to probe the charges. Also, the Punjab State Women's Commission had taken suo motu notice of the matter and issued instructions to provide security to the complainant. In 2022, Bajinder Singh was accused of taking money from a Delhi family for treating their daughter for her illness, but she could not be saved.