Lekha G
The Delhi High Court granted anticipatory bail to a Mumbai based TV Journalist Varun Hiremath in a rape case registered against him by a 22-year-old Pune-based model.
The Journalist had approached the High Court after his anticipatory bail plea was disposed of by a Trial Court on March 12.
The Trial Court had rejected the journalist’s anticipatory bail plea saying that consent cannot be implied from the complaint’s previous experiences with the accused and if the woman had stated in her evidence before the court that she did not consent, the court shall presume the same.
The Counsel for the accused had claimed before the Trial Court that there was a history of sexual relationship between the complainant and the journalist and also emphasized Whatsapp and Instagram chats between them “In order to show the love and passion between them”.
The Women had alleged that Varun Hiremath, had met her on Tinder and raped her at a five-star hotel in Chanakyapuri on February 20.
Consequently, an FIR under IPC Sections 376, 342 and 509 was registered at the Chanakyapuri Police Station based on the women’s complaint and she also further pleaded a status report pertaining to the probe.
However, the said allegations were denied by Hiremath as being false and frivolous.
The Complainant further sought the Court’s direction to transfer the probe to the CBI alleging various discrepancies in the investigation carried out by the Delhi Police.
Earlier the Court had granted interim protection from arrest to Hiremath along with a direction to join the investigation to put his version forward and to verify the true facts of the case.
