Mumbai: A Dindoshi special court designated for sexual crimes on children last week rejected the bail plea of a gang-rape accused who had allegedly also blackmailed the victim with the video of the act. The girl had later delivered a baby as a result of the assault, who had to be given for adoption.
According to the police complaint, the 17-year-old had been gang-raped in December 2018 by 9 men, four of whom were known to her from childhood. In September 2018, she had gone to meet the bail applicant Sagar Sale and Juned Khan in the evening at 6.
The trio had then proceeded to the beach, where they spiked her drinks, whereby she lost her senses. The men left her near her home and her dizzy state continued for another few days.
In December that year, Juned had tried speaking with her. When she avoided him, he blackmailed her saying he had obscene photos of her. She was compelled to go along with him to his house in Andheri, where the five known men, including Juned, and four unknown men were present.
She was given a brown coloured drink, after taking that she was only semi-conscious. Then, all the men sexually assaulted her. Thereafter, Sale had told her that he had seen her video in Juned’s phone.
The girl had not revealed the incident to anyone. She came to know that she was pregnant only when she was five months into the pregnancy and when it could no longer be terminated. In July last year, the child was born and given away for adoption.
Sale had sought bail on the grounds that there was delay in lodging the FIR, he was implicated and that his co-accused have got bail. The prosecution had opposed his bail stating that he was one of the prime accused and had made a video of the victim during the assault.
Rejecting the bail plea, special judge under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act AD Deo said that Sale along with co-accused had made the victim to consume alcohol and thereafter they had committed gang-rape on the victim, leading to her pregnancy.
“Role attributed to the co-accused is different whereas there is prima-facie evidence showing involvement of present accused,” the order said, adding that considering his prima-facie involvement in the serious offence of gang-rape, it is not a fit case for grant of bail.
