HC reprieve for Mira Road politician

The Bombay high court has restrained Thane police from taking any coercive action against an absconding politician from Mira Road, who is accused of rape and atrocities

The Bombay high court has restrained Thane police from taking any coercive action against an absconding politician from Mira Road, who is accused of rape and atrocities under Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, till March 20.

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The politician had approached the court for quashing of an FIR against him on February 28 on the grounds that the complaint was motivated as he had supported the candidate who stood against the complainant in the Mira Bhayandar civic elections and the complainant lost. Accused’s counsel further submitted that he was married to the complainant for 20 years and hence the belated complaint of rape was frivolous and hence should be quashed.

The division bench of acting chief justice B P Dharmadhikari and justice Nitin Borkar, while hearing the application filed by the accused was informed by senior counsel Aabad Ponda that the complainant had contested an election but lost to a candidate supported by the accused. Ponda further submitted that the accused had married the complainant in 1999 and they had a son. However, as the accused had supported the winning candidate, the complaint of rape was lodged against him. In light of these submissions, Ponda sought interim relief from arrest for the accused till his petition for quashing of the FIR was heard.

In this way, Merchant said, the accused exploited the complainant under the false assurance that he would come clean on the relationship once his political career took off.

Merchant submitted that this was a clear case of luring her under a false promise and hence the rape case was valid. Merchant added that the atrocities complaint was also valid as the accused had passed casteist remarks against the complainant last year.