LI Network
Published on: December 23, 2023 at 12:35 IST
The Gauhati High Court has granted bail to an Army Officer accused, along with his wife, of torturing a minor girl.
The accused, Major Shailendra Kumar Yadav, had sought bail on the grounds that the injuries were allegedly caused by his wife and that he cannot be held responsible for the offences under Section 374 IPC.
The Court, however, observed that there are incriminating materials against the petitioner and his wife, and photographs clearly reveal the victim’s extreme cruelty.
The Court noted that the petitioner was complicit and had harbored his wife, leading to the victim’s inhuman and relentless cruelty. The accused has been granted bail of Rs. 50,000 with two local sureties.
The accused faced charges under Sections 326, 354, 370, 374, 34, 506 IPC, along with Section 12 of the POCSO Act, 2012, and Section 3 of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The Court, while acknowledging the grievous injuries sustained by the victim, considered the length of detention and progress of the investigation in granting bail.
The victim, handed over by the informant to the petitioner and his wife, faced inhuman cruelty as she was treated as a domestic helper. The petitioner’s wife mercilessly assaulted her, and the petitioner also participated in the assaults.
The victim was wrongfully confined, forced to do household chores, and her human rights were violated. The court emphasized that the petitioner cannot remain oblivious to the cruelty, and the statements of witnesses and the victim implicated him in the offenses.