Varun Kumar, a national hockey player, was granted anticipatory bail by the Karnataka High Court (HC) in a case where he is accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl after pledging to marry her.
The girl, who was 17, is said to have been sexually assaulted by Kumar in 2019, and it is claimed that pictures of her from that incident were used to “trap” her with malicious intent.
He allegedly declined to keep his word after May 2023. On 6th February of this year, he was charged with violating both the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act.
Varun Kumar, a national hockey player, was granted anticipatory bail by the Karnataka HC in a case where he is accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl after pledging to marry her.
The girl, who was 17, is said to have been sexually assaulted by Kumar in 2019, and it is claimed that pictures of her from that incident were used to “trap” her with malicious intent.
He allegedly declined to keep his word after May 2023. On 6th February of this year, he was charged with violating both the IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act.
On 18th April, Kumar was granted anticipatory bail by a bench of Justice Rajendra Badamikar, following an argument by his attorney that documents from 2021 to 2023, during which the woman was a major, demonstrated a voluntary relationship between them.
Additionally, it was maintained that since she hailed from a wealthy family (her parents were politicians and two police officials), and Kumar was from a lowly background, there was little chance that she would be trapped or blackmailed by him.
The attorney added that since Kumar could not leave his parents, disagreements had developed over where they would live after marriage and that both families were aware of their connection.
However, the prosecution’s attorney argued against providing bail, pointing out that the woman was a child at the time of their first encounter.
They added that since her father recently passed away, there is a chance that witness tampering will take place.
The victim was 17.5 years old when the first event occurred, according to the court. The parties continued their relationship until 14.05.2023, even after the victim reached adulthood.
The victim filed no complaints at all during this time about being seduced or taken advantage of by the petitioner. However, charges of violations of the POSCO Act are made four years later, which seems quite odd.
The Bench also noted that because the woman came from a powerful family, the argument that she was influenced by images would not stand up. It drew attention to the disparity between the four years of dating and the alleged rape.
The case needs a thorough trial, and the legal system will proceed if the petitioner is proven guilty at that point. However, the bench determined that the pre-trial detention is unnecessary because it will seriously damage a person’s reputation.
After that, the bail petition was granted subject to the bond of Rs. 2 lakh and other requirements.