The Bombay High Court has granted bail to a 22-year-old college student who was arrested by the Mumbai Police on charges of sexual assault. The court found that the FIR was filed at the suggestion of the victim’s ex-boyfriend.
On August 22, Justice Makarand S Karnik reviewed the bail plea of the student, who was accused of sexually assaulting a woman. The FIR, registered in April 2022, detailed that the woman had been in a relationship with the student’s friend, which ended before the incident. Following the breakup, she began talking to the student, who attempted to reconcile her with her ex-boyfriend. According to the FIR, the student invited the woman to a lodge where he allegedly assaulted her.
Defense lawyer Pankaj D Purway argued that the FIR was filed two days after the alleged incident, but the court stated that the delay alone did not warrant bail. The Mumbai Police opposed the bail, claiming that the accused exploited the breakup to commit a serious crime.
However, after reviewing the woman’s statement and WhatsApp messages between the victim and the student, Justice Karnik noted that there was a chance the interaction might have been consensual. The court also considered that the student had been in custody for over a year and four months since the FIR was filed and that the investigation was complete with a chargesheet submitted.
Given that the student is 22 years old and a student, the court decided to grant him bail. The bail conditions include a personal bond of Rs. 25,000 and sureties of the same amount.
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