Sexual abuse: Karnataka High Court refuses bail to accused

Bengaluru:  Sending a strong signal to those committing crimes against women, the Karnataka High Court has rejected bail to a person, who was accused of sexually abusing a woman hailing from Bhutan. The court held that granting him bail would endanger society.

The Electronics City Police had charged 25-year-old Maheboo Ahmed and two others under Section 376(D), 307, 506 read with Section 34 of IPC. The complainant, a 25-year-old Bhutanese woman, who was working as a beautician, had alleged that on May 15, 2016 at about 11.30 pm she was talking over the phone with her boyfriend.

"Around that time, the accused person called her over the phone and asked her to come to the shop below their apartment for a smoke. Later she was sexually abused by three men," the complaint stated. She also alleged that the accused threatened her with dire consequences and threatened to kill her.

While seeking bail, the advocate for the accused had submitted that the conduct of the petitioner reveals that she was a consenting party and that the investigation has been completed. Therefore there was no requirement of keeping the accused in custody.

The court observed that having gone through the material collected by the investigating agency and the offence committed by the accused, which are duly supported by the victim’s statement and other attendant circumstances, it cannot grant bail ‘at this stage’. All the three accused were working in a snack parlour in Electronic City, and hailed from Karimganj district in Assam.