Court fixes hearing date in rape case involving Abhishek

Mumbai, Feb 28 (UNI) A local court today fixed March 24 for the commencement of trial against Textiles businessman Ambuj Kasliwal's son Abhishek, accused of raping a woman in his car last year.

The prosecution submitted a list of 40 witnesses in the court of Additional Sessions Judge K U Chandiwal. On February 8, charges had been framed under Sections 376 (rape) and 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Abhishek (27), whose father is the owner of Shriram Mills, was arrested on March 12, for allegedly raping a 52-year-old woman in his car on the Shriram Mill's premises on March 11.

The woman alleged that Abhishek had offered her a lift in his car to Mumbai Central from near Prince of Wales Museum in Colaba.

But, instead of dropping her at Mumbai Central, Abhishek had allegedly taken her to the Shriram Mills premises in Worli and raped her.

In June last year, police had filed a 250-page chargesheet against Abhishek, citing 40 witnesses, of whom three are eye witnesses. Among them, two watchmen of Sriram Mills had told the police that they had seen Abhishek entering the mill with a woman in his car in late hours on March 11.

The chargesheet also contained forensic reports, medical and chemical analysis reports of used condoms found in the car and reports of narco-analysis tests conducted on the accused in a Bangalore laboratory.

UNI ST MAZ HS RN1548