Nikki Bhati death case: Brother-in-law set to walk out of jail as HC grants bail

Noida: The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Rohit Bhati, the brother-in-law of Nikki Bhati (28), who was allegedly burnt to death by her husband and in-laws in Aug last year. The court observed a prima facie case for bail was made out, but did not comment on the merits of the murder trial.Rohit Bhati was among the four people held for murder and criminal conspiracy with Nikki's husband Vipin and parents-in-law Daya and Satveer. He has been in jail since Aug 25.A resident of Sirsa in Greater Noida, Nikki was allegedly attacked on Aug 21 inside her in-laws' home in Kasna. According to police, she was held down as inflammable thinner was poured over her before she was set ablaze. She died the same day while being transferred from a hospital in Greater Noida to Delhi.Police filed a 500-page chargesheet in Nov naming Rohit as one of four alleged conspirators. The case is being prosecuted under BNS sections 103(1) (murder), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy). The chargesheet states the assault was "meticulously planned", with the accused allegedly coordinating their movements, staging appearances before CCTV cameras to create alibis, and later attempting to portray the incident as an accidental fire.In Dec, a sessions court in Greater Noida had denied bail to Rohit, observing the accusations against him were "grave" and that his role in the alleged conspiracy could not be discounted at that stage. In Sept, a chief judicial magistrate had rejected the bail applications of all four accused in the case, including Nikki's husband Vipin, his parents Daya and Satveer, and Rohit himself. Only Rohit approached the high court for a third attempt, while the others, still in judicial custody, did not seek fresh bail.Arguing for bail in the high court, senior advocate Gaurav Kakkar, assisted by advocate Anupam Dubey, contended that Rohit was "absolutely innocent" and the FIR contained only general allegations. It was further argued that the statement of Nikki's son, recorded during the investigation, did not place Rohit at the scene of the incident. The was submitted that the applicant had no prior criminal history, and was willing to cooperate with the trial and abide by all bail conditions.Advocate Amit Bhati ‘Bodaki', who submitted the bail application on behalf of the accused, said that the bail application also mentioned that Rohit was on duty at the Sirsa toll plaza on the day of the incident and accompanied the toll manager to Omicron that evening. "His mobile location, CCTV footage at the hospital, and the testimonies of doctors all show he wasn't at the house when the incident happened. Even the deceased's initial statement to medical staff mentioned a kitchen fire, not an assault. There is nothing linking him to any conspiracy or violence," the advocate said.Opposing the bail application, the prosecution counsel argued that the FIR was lodged by the wife of the applicant herself, leaving no reason for false implication. Allowing the bail plea, Justice Krishan Pahal noted, "Considering the facts and circumstances of the case, the submissions made by learned counsel for the parties and the evidence on record, and taking into consideration the fact that the son of the deceased person has not named the applicant in his statement, without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, prima facie the court is of the view that the applicant has made out a case for bail."The court directed Rohit to furnish a personal bond and two sureties. It also imposed some conditions, like not tampering with evidence, not intimidating prosecution witnesses and appearing before the trial court on all dates fixed.Advocate Amit Bhati told TOI they have also applied for bail for Vipin, Sataveer and Daya before the high court.