Navi Mumbai: A fresh criminal case has been registered against a man already accused of sexually assaulting a woman on the false promise of marriage after he allegedly disclosed the survivor's identity in his anticipatory bail application before a court.
Law Mandates Confidentiality in Sexual Offence Cases
Under the law, the identity of a survivor of sexual offences must be kept confidential. However, the accused allegedly mentioned the survivor's name in his bail plea, leading to another serious offence being registered against him at CBD Police Station.
The accused has been identified as Bhuvan Shyamlal Chauhan (36), a resident of Mulund (West), who is currently absconding. Police have launched a search to trace him.
Woman Alleges Sexual Assault on False Promise of Marriage
According to police, Chauhan developed a relationship with the woman in 2020 and allegedly lured her with a promise of marriage. He is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting her at a hotel in Airoli, a bar and hotel in Mulund, and various hotels in Alibag and Mumbai.
When the woman later insisted on marriage, Chauhan allegedly refused and severed all contact with her before fleeing.
Accused Approached Sessions Court for Anticipatory Bail
After allegedly exploiting the survivor for nearly five years, the woman lodged a complaint at Rabale Police Station in February this year. Based on her complaint, police registered a case against Chauhan under Section 69 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and initiated efforts to arrest him.
Following the registration of the case, Chauhan approached the Sessions Court in Belapur seeking anticipatory bail to avoid arrest and prosecution.
During the bail proceedings, the accused allegedly disclosed the survivor's real name in the application, thereby violating her statutory right to confidentiality and revealing her identity.
The survivor immediately brought the matter to the notice of both the court and the police. Since the law mandates that the identity of sexual offence survivors must remain confidential, CBD Police subsequently registered another case against Chauhan under Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for unlawfully revealing the survivor's identity.
Police said efforts are underway to trace and arrest the absconding accused, who is now facing an additional criminal charge for violating the survivor's privacy.
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