Accused of raping the daughter of his junior officer, Col PS Grewal of Army Training Command (ARTRAC) on Friday got bail from the Shimla District and Session Court.
The serving army officer, Colonel Grewal is accused of raping the 21-year old daughter of his junior lieutenant Colonel at ARTRAC. The girl is reported to have approached him seeking his help for making a career in the field of modelling.
The 56-year old Col Grewal was arrested on Nov 22 by Shimla (Sadar) police following an FIR lodged by the victim. He got relief just moments after his judicial remand was extended for 14 days by the Chief Judicial Magistrate Ranjeet Singh Thakur.
Col Grewal was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate on Friday the morning and his bail plea was taken up by the District and Session Judge thereafter as he had moved his bail plea before the Session court after his arrest last month.
Ajay Kochar, counsel for the accused, said that the complainant had gone to the house of Col Grewal on her own. He (the accused) was shocked when she leveled allegation of molestation and got him booked for the alleged crime. He contended that a conspiracy was hatched against his client.
The counsel asserted that there were differences in the statements of the complainant in front of police and the magistrate. There is difference in her statement which she gave while lodging the FIR on November 21 and the one she recorded in the court under section 146 CrPC, he contended.
Kochar said that there was no medical evidence to corroborate the police theory that his client sexually assaulted the complainant.
Opposing he bail plea, counsel for the State, Bhagwan Singh Negi said that the accused was expected to influence the witnesses as he was senior officer of the father of the victim.
Col Grewal was arrested after the girl lodged a formal complaint against him last month. The victim alleged that the accused had assured her help for getting into modelling career. She said that she was called by the accused to his place on November 21 for clicking her pictures, but gave her some toxic drink and raped her when she was not in her senses.
The matter had come to light when father of the victim turned up at lakkar Bazar Police Station and lodged a report of alleged crime and latter the victim was produced for medical examination. Thereafter the FIR was lodged and the accused Col Grewal was arrested the next day.