Kerala HC denies bail to police officer accused of 'raping' minor Dalit girl
Kochi (PTI): The Kerala High Court has denied bail to a police officer accused of raping a 14-year-old school girl belonging to Dalit community two years ago on Children's Day in a house in Thrissur district of the state.
Justice K Babu denied the relief to the officer, who was a Student Police Cadet (SPC) instructor in the victim's school, saying that he had committed a "heinous offence" and was "not entitled to be released on bail".
"While the court cannot ignore the fundamental right of the accused under Article 21 of the Constitution, it cannot shut its eyes totally to the atrocious nature of the offence committed.
"The material placed by the prosecution would reveal that the appellant (police officer) is alleged to have committed heinous offences. The prosecution has established a prima facie case," the High Court said.
The order came on the officer's plea challenging a session court's decision rejecting his bail application.
According to the prosecution, the victim is a member of Scheduled Caste and the accused seduced her by maintaining a relationship with her over the phone.
On November 14, 2022, he took her to a house near Kodungallur in Thrissur district by offering a birthday treat and raped her, the prosecution told the High Court.
He was arrested on September 26, 2024 and has been in judicial custody since then.
The officer has been booked for various offences, including rape, under the IPC, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th Saudi Pro League goal
Riyadh (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th Saudi Pro League goal as Al-Nassr beat Al-Shabab 4-2 to move five points clear at the top of the table.
The 41-year-old forward converted a Sadio Mané cross at the near post with 15 minutes remaining to record the 971st goal of his career on Thursday. It was also his 26th league goal of the season.
“Ronaldo is always dangerous going forward and we saw that again today,” Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said.
João Félix, signed from Chelsea in July, scored three goals for the league leaders.
The win took Al-Nassr to 82 points from 32 games, five ahead of Al-Hilal, which has three matches, one more than Nassr, left to play. Al-Hilal meets Al-Kholood on Friday and faces Nassr on Tuesday in what could be a title decider against its Riyadh rival.
“Now we have a derby match against our rival, which is a difficult encounter,” Jesus said.
“We are fully aware of its importance, and we are dealing with it with complete focus as we know that small details could decide the result.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, has yet to secure a major trophy in Saudi Arabia since signing with Al-Nassr in December 2022.
