Man accused of raping 13-year-old girl gets bail from Bombay High Court; “Love, not lust,” says HC

The court notes that the underage girl stayed with the man in several places without complaining of sexual abuse.

Bombay High Court: A 26-year-old man accused of raping a 13-year-old girl has been granted bail by the Bombay High Court. The Bombay HC granted the bail stating that the sexual relationship between them was based on love, attraction and not lust.

The 26-year-old suspect, who hails from Amravati, was booked and jailed on charges of raping the minor girl three years ago. The court notes that the underage girl stayed with the man in several places without complaining of sexual abuse.

Justice Urmila Joshi-Phalke of the Nagpur Bench of the trial court, noting that the girl was a minor and her consent was not relevant, said that she had given her statement to the investigating officer, which revealed that she had entered the house on August 23, 2020 had relied on the excuse of buying a book, went missing and had voluntarily joined the suspect, also admitting her love for him.

Justice Joshi-Phalke said it was clear that she was in the company of the accused petitioner and both were mutually in love.

The suspect was arrested by personnel of Anjangaon police station in Amravati on August 30, 2020. The suit was filed on October 26, 2020, but there was no progress in the trial. He later applied for bail, which was granted after the court said there would be no point in keeping him behind bars.

The complaint was filed by the minor girl's father, who said they tried to trace her after she went missing, following which they approached the Anjangaon police, who tracked her down along with the accused in Bengaluru and nabbed him.

(With IANS inputs)