Pre-arrest bail for man facing rape charge

The Bombay High Court has granted anticipatory bail to a 22-year-old man accused of allegedly raping a woman after threatening to circulate her photographs on social media.

Justice Bharati Dangre was recently hearing an application filed by Siddharth Naikare seeking pre-arrest bail and challenging the order passed by the additional sessions judge in Pune rejecting the same.

According to the victim, Mr. Naikare raped her from November 25, 2017, to March 17, 2018. She said he took compromising photographs on his phone and forced her to have intercourse with him by threatening to make them go viral on social media.

The Khed police station in Pune lodged a case based on her complaint under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 66C (identity theft) and Section 66D (cheating by personation by using computer resource) of the Information Technology Act.

‘Falsely implicated’

Mr. Naikare says he has been falsely implicated, and there is no need for custodial interrogation. The advocate for the victim has sought that Mr. Naikare be taken into custody.

The court order read, “Mr. Naikare is a young boy of 22 years old and is studying. He undertakes to cooperate with the investigating officer and also to attend the police station as and when called and would not leave the territorial limits of Khed Police Station without permission of the investigating officer.”

The court granted him anticipatory bail by executing a personal bond of ₹25,000 and furnishing a surety. It directed him not to pressure the victim and witnesses whose statements have been recorded. He was also made to surrender the phone he allegedly used to take the photographs.