Kerala High Court grants anticipatory bail to rape accused after learning that victim had taken money

Kochi (IANS). The Kerala High Court granted anticipatory bail to a rape accused after it found that the woman had received Rs 5,000 from the accused man after the alleged rape incident.

The court was convinced by a social media message that the intercourse was consensual and the woman was paid Rs 5,000.

After this the court granted anticipatory bail to the person accused of rape.

According to the prosecution, the accused along with another man brought the victim to a hotel and made her drink alcohol and made an obscene video of her having sex and circulated it on electronic media.

But the counsel for the accused person said that there was no material on record to link the applicant with the alleged crime and he was entitled to get bail.

But the court, relying on the First Information Statement (FIS) and WhatsApp screenshots, found that the woman had voluntarily gone to the hotel, knowing well that the man and other accused were present in the hotel.

The court also observed that there was a delay of 12 days in filing the FIR and there was no need for custodial interrogation, granted pre-arrest bail to the accused person and asked him to cooperate with the investigation.