Caretaker held for ‘rape’ of 3-year-old in Delhi school gets bail

NEW DELHI: A 57-year-old school caretaker, who was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl inside the premises in west Delhi, has been granted bail by a Dwarka court after it noted that CCTV footage placed him away from the alleged crime scene at the time and the child's medical examination did not reveal any injuries.

Police had opposed the bail plea, arguing that the accusations were serious and fell under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.

On May 1, the child fell ill and informed her mother about the alleged assault of April 30. Based on the complaint, police registered an FIR under Section 64 (punishment for rape) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and under Pocso Act.

According to police, the child had identified the caretaker, following which he was arrested. However, while hearing the bail plea on May 7, the Dwarka sessions court took note of the medical and electronic evidence. Referring to the medico-legal certificate of the child, the court observed that “no injury or redness or any other mark was found on the body of the child victim, including her private part”.

Referring to the CCTV footage on record, the court noted that the accused had allegedly left the junior wing of the school — where the alleged incident took place — at 8.37am and didn’t return thereafter. The defence submitted that the accused had been employed at the school for more than three decades and had no such prior complaints against him.

Without commenting on the merits of the allegations, the court observed that further custodial interrogation of the accused was not required. It, however, directed him to stay away from the school premises till the completion of the trial.

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

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