18-Year-Old POCSO Accused Gets Temporary Bail to Take NEET Retest
Mumbai: A special POCSO court in Mumbai granted four-day interim bail to an 18-year-old man, who was jailed on rape charges, so that he could appear for the NEET exam scheduled for June 21.
Special Judge SR Sharma on Thursday granted bail to the accused, currently lodged in Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai, after the rape victim did not raise any objection against him, subject to assurance that he will not defame or threaten his family during the period of bail.
The interim bail was granted by the court against a surety of Rs 50,000 with surety of similar amount from June 18 to June 21. The court ordered him to surrender before the authorities before 14:00 on June 22, a day after the re-medical examination.
The 18-year-old boy was arrested for rape under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012.
Advocate Kapil Vishwas Zodge, appearing on behalf of the accused, argued that the criminal justice system aims to facilitate the rehabilitation of convicted criminals and incarcerated individuals and that the young man deserved the opportunity to take the medical entrance exam to correct his mistakes.
He stated that the defendant needed time to prepare for the test because doing it in police custody would affect his mental state.
Special Public Prosecutor Chaitrali Panshikar opposed the interim bail plea, citing the serious nature of the allegations against the youth.
The prosecution suggested that the defendant be allowed to take the exam for only one day under police supervision.
Taking into account the higher secondary examination certificate and provisional NEET admit card submitted by the defence, the court said there were “clear valid reasons” to release the accused on interim bail.
“As far as the prosecution’s arrests are concerned, these can be remedied by the imposition of necessary conditions,” the judge said. he said.
While releasing the defendant, the court directed him not to contact the victim in any way, tamper with evidence, or make any inducements or threats to anyone with knowledge of the case.
Additionally, the judge asked the defendant to make an undertaking that he would take the exam and to provide supporting documents proving that he would take the exam after surrendering.
