Bombay HC grants anticipatory bail to suspended DIG facing molestation charges.

Source – indianexpress.com

THE BOMBAY High Court on Wednesday granted pre-arrest bail to suspended DIG Nishikant More, who is facing allegations of molesting a 17-year-old girl last year. An FIR has been filed against More, DIG (motor transport), Pune, at Kharghar police station in Navi Mumbai.

More’s anticipatory bail application was rejected by the sessions court earlier following which he had approached the HC. While granting bail to More, the court in its order noted that the accused and the family of the girl shared cordial relations, which later turned sour after the victim’s father refused to return money he had allegedly borrowed from the accused.

Navi Mumbai DCP Ashok Dudhe said, “The DIG has been granted pre-arrest bail by the HC.”

The HC has directed More to appear before Taloja police in Navi Mumbai on January 29, 30 and 31 to cooperate with the probe.

Justice P D Naik noted that when the alleged molestation incident took place last year, at the victim’s birthday party, her family was present. “The manner and conduct of the victim in the video creates doubt on the alleged incident,” Justice Naik said.

The bench has posted the matter for further hearing on February 17.

More approached the HC last week after the sessions court rejected his anticipatory bail application. In his plea, the accused claimed all the allegations were “baseless” and the complaint against him was made because of the financial dispute between the two families.

Earlier this month, the girl had gone missing, leaving behind a note that stated that the DIG had been putting too much pressure on her family to withdraw the case against him because of which she was going to commit suicide. After the girl went missing, the DIG’s anticipatory bail was rejected by the sessions court.

Later, the girl was tracked down along with a male friend in Dehradun. The police have registered a rape case against the friend, who is 20 years old. The youth is still in police custody.