Actor Alok Nath gets anticipatory bail in rape case
Mumbai, Jan 5: Actor Alok Nath, accused of rape by a woman writer-producer, was granted anticipatory bail by a Mumbai court on Saturday.
Additional Sessions Judge S S Oza granted the pre-arrest bail to Nath on a surety bond of Rs 5 lakh.
It means if the police arrest the actor, he will have to be released on bail after executing a bond.
A case of rape under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against Nath by the city police on November 21.
The complainant accused him of raping her 19 years ago.
The complainant, best known for a 90s TV show, had first levelled the allegation in a social media post in October last year when the MeToo movement gained momentum in the country.
Though she did not name Nath in her post, she referred to him as the actor known as the "most sanskari person" in the field of acting. She subsequently filed a police complaint.
Nath is known for his portrayal of characters endorsing moral and family values in films such as "Maine Pyaar Kiya", "Hum Aapke Hain Koun!", "Hum Saath Saath Hain" and "Vivah".
Nath has denied the allegations and filed a civil suit against the complainant, seeking damages of Re 1 for defaming him.
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In matters concerning liberty of citizens, every single day counts: SC
New Delhi (PTI): Every single day counts in matters concerning the liberty of citizens, the Supreme Court said on Friday while asking the Delhi High Court to decide on the regular bail plea of a businessman in a corruption case related to the now scrapped Delhi excise policy.
The petitioner's regular bail application has been heard by the high court on 40 occasions and now the matter has been adjourned to July 8, a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta was told by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for businessman Amandeep Singh Dhall.
"This cannot be that after 40 hearings, you don't decide the regular bail," he said.
The bench noted it has been informed that his regular bail plea was filed in July last year.
"In matters concerning the liberty of citizens, every single day counts. Keeping the matter of regular bail pending after almost 11 months deprives the petitioner of his liberty," the bench said.
"We request the high court to decide the bail application prior to the closure for summer vacations," it said.
Summer vacations in the high court start from June 3. May 31 will be the last working day.
Dhall is an accused in separate cases linked to the excise policy which are being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED's money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR.
A trial court had earlier dismissed his regular bail plea in a corruption case lodged by the CBI.
According to the probe agencies, Dhall allegedly conspired with other accused and was "actively" involved in the formulation of the liquor policy and facilitating kickbacks to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its recoupment by the "South Group" through various means.
According to the CBI and the ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours extended to licence holders.
The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021 and scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.
