The sessions court on Friday granted anticipatory bail to Malabar Hill resident Heetik Shah, booked for raping a 21-year-old woman he met on social media in January. The complainant, who lives in Malad, met Shah from Walkeshwar on Instagram. A month after chatting on the platform, both of them decided to meet in person on January 12.
As per the woman, they first visited eateries and pubs till late in the night. She was then allegedly taken in an inebriated state to the flat of Shah’s friend in a high-rise at Sir Pochkhanwala Road in Worli. She later shared her ordeal on Instagram and said she had become intoxicated after a few tequila shots. She posted that Shah insisted she drinks more, following which she suffered a blackout. “I woke up to him raping me. Despite my efforts to stop him, he continued and even slapped me thrice with intense rage, leaving me scared and intimidated,” she said on Instagram, before approaching the police.
Claims Of Consensual Interaction And Intent Behind the Complaint
Shah moved the sessions court for anticipatory bail on January 25 through his lawyers Aabad Ponda and Subhash Jadhav. He had claimed that the woman first made sexual advances and not him. He further claimed that whatever happened between the two was consensual.
He also claimed that he had refused the complainant’s sexual advances and no sexual intercourse took place on the said night. He claimed that the complaint has been filed with the intent to tarnish the image of his family and extort money.
Woman's Intervention Application And Police Report Against Accused Shah
The woman had also filed an intervention application, wherein she referred to Shah’s message, apologising to her about that night. She claimed that the accused is a habitual offender and has targeted many other girls who are scared to come out and lodge complaints about him.
The police, in their report, opposed the bail plea, claiming that there is a possibility that Shah can pressurise the complainant and also defame her. The prosecution also presented a possibility of threat to her life.
The court had earlier granted interim protection to Shah, observing that there was no requirement of immediate custodial interrogation. After the hearing, it granted him anticipatory bail. The detailed order, however, was not available immediately.
