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High court relief for DIG accused of molesting minor
The Bombay high court (HC) on Wednesday granted interim protection from arrest to deputy inspector general (DIG) of police (motor transport) Nishikant More, who
The Bombay high court (HC) on Wednesday granted interim protection from arrest to deputy inspector general (DIG) of police (motor transport) Nishikant More, who is accused of molesting a minor girl at her birthday party in June 2019 in Navi Mumbai.
Justice PD Naik has now posted More’s anticipatory bail application for further hearing on February 17.
The Taloja police in Navi Mumbai had booked More on December 26 for molesting a 17-year-old girl. The FIR was registered almost six months after the alleged incident on June 5, 2019. He was booked under sections 354A (1)(i) and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for molestation and criminal intimidation, apart from sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.
The police officer approached the HC after the Panvel sessions court rejected his anticipatory bail application on January 9.
Senior advocate Ashok Mundargi, on the officer’s behalf, pointed out that there was a delay of six months in lodging the complaint and registering the FIR. Mundargi had submitted that the family of the police officer and the family of the girl knew each other and More attended the girl’s birthday celebrations along with his wife and children. He had said the police complaint was lodged after the families got embroiled in a property dispute and the FIR is a fallout of the dispute. The senior advocate also pointed out that the Panvel sessions court rejected his pre-arrest bail plea primarily in view of the fact that the girl had gone missing and she had left behind a suicide note, specifically naming More and the judge had opined that the suicide note may turn out to be a dying declaration. Mundargi had also pointed out that the girl was traced to Dehradun where with her boyfriend and requested the court to restrain the police from taking any coercive steps against him.
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