SC rejects Sunil More’s bail plea

Constable Sunil More, who was convicted for raping a minor in a police booth in an inebriated state in 2005, failed to get a reprieve after the Supreme Court rejected his bail application.

Constable Sunil More, who was convicted for raping a minor in a police booth in an inebriated state in 2005, failed to get a reprieve after the Supreme Court rejected his bail application.

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While rejecting More’s bail, the SC asked the Bombay High Court to expedite hearing in his appeal against conviction. More, attached with the Marine Drive police, was arrested on April 21, 2005, for raping a college girl.

On April 3, 2006, More was convicted by additional sessions judge K U Chandiwal and was sentenced to 12 years’ rigorous imprisonment.

More had challenged his conviction before the high court. Simultaneously, the government had also filed an appeal, seeking enhancement of his sentence.

On March 10, 2008, the high court admitted More’s appeal against his conviction. The court had then rejected his application seeking bail on grounds that the appeal may take long to come up for hearing.

Once again, in July 2010, More approached the high court seeking bail saying he had spent more than half his sentence. He has been in custody since his arrest.

However, the high court rejected his bail application on August 26 saying that there was no change in the circumstances under which he could be released on bail.

More had sent an application to the Supreme Court through jail seeking bail.

An advocate was appointed from the legal aid panel for More.

Advocates Prakash Wagh and Vivek Sudade, who had represented More in the trial court and the high court, confirmed that the Supreme Court had rejected More’s bail application.

“But the Supreme Court has expedited the matter, hence we will mention the appeal before the high court so that it is heard at the earliest,” Wagh said.