No pre-arrest bail to father booked for sexually abusing minor girl

The complainant claimed that her daughter’s behaviour changed suddenly since August and she was quiet and appeared frightened.

Mumbai: A special POCSO court recently refused to grant anticipatory bail to a senior executive of a telecommunication company booked for sexually abusing his nine-year-old daughter. The man was booked following a complaint lodged by his estranged wife claiming that the accused would call their daughter into his room and would lock the door and sexually abuse the child.

The accused, in his defence, claimed that his wife had filed a false case against him to keep him behind the bars for exposing her extra-marital affair. The accused said that the wife had also filed several fake criminal complaints, which included a case for demanding dowry, a case for forcing her into unnatural sex, and a case of domestic violence. In return she has demanded ₹5 crores as permanent alimony to give him a divorce. (Image for representation)

The complainant claimed that her daughter’s behaviour changed suddenly since August and she was quiet and appeared frightened. “She was scared to take her things from the cupboard as she had to cross the room with her father to go to that room,” her mother said. Besides, the woman said whenever the child visited her father’s room, she used to come out crying.

In October, the complainant asked the child what had happened and then the girl revealed that for the last three months her father used to call her into his room and used to touch her inappropriately. She said that the victim had threatened to jump from the terrace if she spoke to anyone about the incidents.

The accused, in his defence, claimed that his wife had filed a false case against him to keep him behind the bars for exposing her extra-marital affair. The accused said that the wife had also filed several fake criminal complaints, which included a case for demanding dowry, a case for forcing her into unnatural sex, and a case of domestic violence. In return she has demanded ₹5 crores as permanent alimony to give him a divorce.

The court, however, rejected his defence.

“There is indeed a matrimonial dispute between the complainant and the accused but the complainant has specifically stated that since August 2022 the victim was in a disturbed condition. Though repeatedly asked, the victim had not stated anything. In October, the victim disclosed the fact that the accused, her father, used to call her. The wife in her complaint stated that her mother and caretaker also told her about the behaviour of the victim. That means other witnesses are independent witnesses,” said the court.