Pocso accused gets bail as victim claims to be adult

DEHRADUN: The high court has granted bail to a 25-year-old accused from Bareilly who had been in custody since May last year in a case filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (Pocso) Act by the victim's father. The court's decision came after the victim, in her statement to the court, declared that she was 18 years old at the time the FIR was filed against the accused. Additionally, the girl revealed that she has since married the accused, and they now have a daughter together.

The FIR, filed on April 22, 2021, at US Nagar, charged the accused with offences under IPC sections 376 (rape), 363 (kidnapping), and relevant sections of the Pocso Act, following the girl's disappearance from the Transit Camp area. Vikas Anand, the counsel representing the accused, said that both "the victim and her father did not support the prosecution's case". The court considered the facts and concluded that "there was no valid reason to continue detaining the accused". The court clarified that its decision "does not express any opinion on the merits of the case".