Thane court rejects bail plea of man held for rape

A court in Maharashtra’s Thane district has rejected the bail application of a man accused of raping a woman under the false promise of marriage, impregnating her, and threatening her.

Additional Sessions Judge VG Mohite rejected the plea of the accused, Shubham Bhagwan Shinde, observing that his release could pose a serious risk to the woman and her unborn child. A copy of the court order dated July 7 was received on Thursday.

According to the prosecution, the woman and Shinde got acquainted with each other in December last year. After a few weeks, Shinde invited her to his house and had physical relations with her under the pretext of marrying her.

The woman subsequently became pregnant and began residing in Shinde’s house. However, whenever she asked him about marriage, Shinde allegedly threatened to commit suicide if pressured, the prosecution alleged. Additional Public Prosecutor Manisha Pawse opposed Shinde’s bail application, arguing that he cheated the woman and abandoned her after she became pregnant. The woman also objected to Shinde’s bail plea, claiming that his relatives had hurled casteist abuses and threatened her with harm.

Advocate Yasin Nabi, who represented Shinde, argued that it was a case of a failed romantic relationship and produced photographs to show “intimacy” between the duo. He further submitted that the investigation was complete and the chargesheet had been filed.

However, the court said the defence failed to place a copy of the chargesheet on record to verify the evidence. About the photographs, Judge Mohite said they were insufficient to defend the accused since the woman herself claimed they shared a friendly relationship.

The judge also noted that the accused remained “mum” about the woman’s pregnancy in his application as well as during arguments.

“If he is released on bail, then the possibility of causing injury or death to the prosecutrix or her fetus by him cannot be ruled out. Moreover, he may force her to abort the pregnancy,” the court said, rejecting Shinde’s regular bail plea.