HC denies anticipatory bail to man in trafficking case

The Delhi High Court has denied anticipatory bail to a man facing prosecution in a human-trafficking case, in which he allegedly married the victim forcibly.

The court dismissed the anticipatory bail plea, saying the allegations against him are serious and at this stage, it cannot be inferred that he was lawfully married to the victim. “Keeping in mind the nature of the allegations and the fact that, as per the prosecution, it is a case of human trafficking, custodial interrogation of the applicant would be imperative,” Justice Manoj Jain said in an order passed on August 11. The court noted that the allegations are “very serious” and “alarming”, and said there is no merit or substance in the application. According to the prosecution, two men had sexually assaulted the 17-year-old victim and “sold” her to applicant-accused Sukhram for Rs 30,000.

The victim had claimed that she was sexually assaulted by the two men, taken to Uttar Pradesh and forcibly married to an aged Sukhram. A case was registered by police for the alleged offences of kidnapping, human trafficking and sexual assault on a complaint from the victim’s uncle.

The prosecutor submitted that two accused have already been arrested and are in custody, and another one was granted bail as there were no allegations of sexual assault against him. He added that the accused, including the applicant, had taken undue advantage of the victim’s young age and her mental condition.