Karnataka High Court grants bail to POCSO accused, conditions release on marriage undertaking
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has granted bail to a POCSO rape accused, Lokesh Kumar, under the condition that he will marry the minor victim upon her reaching the age of majority. This decision came after both the accused and the guardian of the minor victim filed affidavits in court agreeing to the marriage arrangement.
Lokesh Kumar faced charges under Section 376(2)(n) of the IPC and various sections of the POCSO Act, 2012. The allegations against him revolved around the accusation of committing penetrative sexual assault on the victim, who later became pregnant and underwent an abortion at a hospital in Chikkaballapur District.
During the court proceedings, the petitioner/accused pledged in an affidavit to marry the victim once she reaches adulthood. Similarly, the minor guardian of the victim also submitted an affidavit expressing readiness to solemnize the marriage with the accused upon the victim's attainment of majority.
Considering these undertakings, the court concluded that the petitioner's presence was no longer required for the ongoing investigation, and thus, there was no purpose served by keeping him in custody. Consequently, the court granted bail to the accused upon the execution of a personal bond amounting to Rs. 1,00,000 with one surety, subject to specified conditions.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
