The Chhattisgarh High Court has quashed the FIR, charge sheet and criminal proceedings against the son of BJP leader Narayan Chandel for allegedly raping a tribal woman, his lawyer said on Friday.
Justice Rakesh Mohan Pandey announced this on Thursday, lawyer Hari Agrawal told The Pioneer. The order copy was only available on Friday.
Justice Pandey said the woman and the petitioner were in a consensual relationship. Also, the woman was well-educated who knows the pros and cons of such a relationship.
In January, Palash Chandel was booked under the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on charges of sexually exploiting a woman for several years on the pretext of marriage.
In January, a zero FIR was lodged in Mahila Thana in Raipur and then the case was transferred to the police in Janjgir-Champa.
He was absconding for a long time but was nabbed in April. He was released on bail bond of Rs 25,000 as he got an anticipatory bail from the Chhattisgarh High Court.
