Report by Tanya Singh:
The Chief Justice said: “You should have thought before seducing and raping the young girl. You knew you are a government servant.” The Supreme Court’s comments in a case related to a government employee seeking protection from arrest in a rape case have garnered strong reactions from all ends.
The case in question involves a girl who had been 16 at the time of the alleged crime. As such, the man had been accused under the far more stringent POSCO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. But there are some contradictory details to be noted. While the attack had taken place some time earlier, the rape complaint was filed around the time that the girl turned 18. “If you want to marry we can help you. If not, you lose your job and go to jail. You seduced the girl, raped her,” Chief Justice of India SA Bobde advised the petitioner’s lawyer, who argued that his consumer might lose his job. The petitioner told the court that his mother had offered marriage when the girl went to the police, but she refused.
Following this a document was drawn up to say that the marriage would take place when she turns 18. When she did agree, the man refused to marry her, following which she filed complaint, according to Chavan’s petition. The man had been granted anticipatory bail by the trial court, which was then cancelled by the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court. The high court in its judgment cancelling the bail granted to the man had observed that granting bail to the man was “atrocious”. However, the apex court has now granted him protection from arrest for four weeks, and allowed him time to file a bail plea in the “appropriate forum”.