Court grants pre-arrest bail to man accused of having sex with deceitful means

New Delhi, Sep 11 (PTI) A Delhi court has granted anticipatory bail to a man accused of sexually exploiting a woman after promising to marry her.

Additional sessions judge Vishal Singh was hearing the pre-arrest bail plea of a man booked under Section 69 (sexual intercourse by employing deceitful means) of BNS.

According to the complainant, the accused had sex with her on several occasions promising to marry her and despite knowing she was a single mother with a 14-year-old daughter.

In an order dated September 10, the court noted the argument of the defence counsel about the woman still being legally married to another person.

The court said it was reported that the complainant did not provide sufficient information about her marriage with the other man who was her daughter's father and only said she met him in 2010 and he worked as a scrap dealer.

The woman was stated to have disassociated herself from the man after her daughter’s birth in 2011.

The court, however, said the woman’s Aadhaar record, which was updated on several occasions, reflected she changed her address several times till 2024, but on each occasion she identified herself as the wife of or care of the man.

“There is, indeed, a reasonable doubt about the marital status of the complainant and her legal freedom to marry the applicant or accused. The present case is not a case of forcible sexual assault, and there is no report that the accused failed to cooperate in the investigation,” it said.

The court granted anticipatory bail to the accused on the condition that he would not attempt to contact, threaten or harm the complainant.

“In the event of arrest, the accused shall be admitted to anticipatory bail on furnishing a bail bond in the sum of Rs 30,000 with one surety of like amount,” the court said. PTI MNR MNR AMK AMK