Woman who accused Rajasthan Minister's son of rape challenges bail granted to him in Delhi HC

New Delhi, July 21: A woman, who accused Rajasthan cabinet minister Mahesh Joshi's son of raping and assaulting her, has moved the Delhi High Court with a plea, seeking the cancellation of anticipatory bail granted to him by the Tis Hazari Court of Delhi.

The material aspects and settled principles of law were not considered by the trial court while granting anticipatory bail to Rohit Joshi, the plea said. It also stated that the trial court failed to consider the nature and gravity of the accusation, the severity of the punishment in the event of conviction and the danger of the accused absconding or fleeing, if released on bail.

The petitioner points out about the likelihood of the offence being repeated by the accused and the danger of justice being thwarted by the grant of bail, ANI reported.

The plea stated that the highly influential son of the minister has the capacity to create hindrance in the investigative process and coerce and intimidate the petitioner/witnesses.

However, all these material aspects were ignored while granting bail to the accused, said the petition. Further, it claims the accused had sent goons to attack her throw chemicals and warned her to withdraw the case

A case was registered on May 8 at a police station in North District under sections 376 (rape), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offence), 312 (causing miscarriage), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, etc), 377 (unnatural offences) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code against him.

In her complaint, the woman alleged that she was raped on several occasions between January 8 last year and April 17 this year.

The woman had said she developed friendship with Rohit Joshi on Facebook last year and since then they have been in contact. The two met in Jaipur first and he allegedly invited her to Sawai Madhopur on January 8, 2021.

During their first meeting, she alleged, he spiked her drink and took advantage of it. When she woke up the next morning, he showed her naked photographs and videos which worried her, reads the FIR.

Mentioning about another meeting, she had alleged that Rohit Joshi had also once met her in Delhi and forced himself upon her.

"Rohit made me stay at a hotel where he got our names registered as husband and wife. He then promised to marry me...but then he got drunk and abused me...He would beat me up and make obscene videos of me. He would threaten to upload them and make them viral...," the woman alleged.

She further stated that on August 11, 2021, she found out that she was pregnant with his baby and alleged that he forced her up take a pill but she didn't, the complainant stated in the FIR.