A lawmaker from India's ruling party was charged on Wednesday in connection with the rape of a teenage girl, a case that has embarrassed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government amid a spate of sexual violence that has stirred street protests.
Over 100 rapes are reported in India every day but the lawmaker's case has strong political overtones with critics accusing Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh state of hindering judicial action against the veteran legislator.
Kuldeep Singh Sengar was arrested in April in connection with the rape of the teenager in the city of Unnao, in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, a year after the alleged attack.