Bombay HC grants bail to rape accused
says he will have to marry victim if she is traced within one year
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court has granted bail to a 26-year-old man arrested in a rape case, but set a condition that he would have to marry the victim, who is currently untraceable, if she is found within a year.
The man, however, would not be bound by this condition beyond one year, a single bench of Justice Bharati Dangre said in the order passed on October 12.
The court said the accused and the 22-year-old woman were in a consensual relationship, but a rape and cheating case was registered when the man started avoiding her after learning that she was pregnant.
The woman lodged a complaint with the Mumbai Police against the man in February 2020 after which he was arrested.
In her complaint, the woman claimed they were in a relationship since 2018 and that their families were aware of the same and had not objected to it.
In 2019, the woman realised she was pregnant and informed the accused, but he started avoiding her. The woman left her house as she did not want to reveal about the pregnancy to her family members. On January 27, 2020, she delivered a baby in a city hospital.
On January 30, the woman abandoned the baby in front of a building. A separate FIR was then lodged against her for abandoning the child.
Justice Dangre in her order said this "may be a possible reason why she is fleeing from the course of justice".
The accused assured the HC that he was willing to marry the woman and accept paternity of the child.
However, the police informed the court that the woman was not traceable and the baby, who was admitted to a child care centre, has already been given in adoption.
"In such circumstances when the incident was reported, the victim was major and she has already stated that the relationship was consensual," the HC said.
"I deem it appropriate to release the applicant on bail subject to compliance that if the victim is traced within a short while and say in a period of one year, he shall solemnise marriage with her, but he shall not be bound by the statement beyond one year," the order said.
The court granted bail to the man on a bond of Rs 25,000.
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TN Assembly elections: Eight-month pregnant homemaker wins Thiru Vi Ka Nagar seat for TVK
Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.
Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.
Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.
According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.
She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.
A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.
Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.
Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.
