Karnataka High Court grants bail to man accused of exploiting his female live-in partner
BENGALURU: A man accused of exploiting his female live-in partner was recently granted bail by the high court and it had raised doubts regarding the charges raised by the complainant. The complaint was filed after the couple had lived together for five years.
Judicial custody
The high court while hearing the bail plea of the accused, who was earlier arrested and sent to judicial custody following the woman’s complaint, observed, “The complainant is an educated lady and having sufficient capacity to take her own decisions. She has also lived with the petitioner (accused) for more than five years. It creates a serious doubt at this stage whether she was forcibly exploited physically and mentally or whether she willingly lived with the petitioner for five years, that has to be thrashed out at the time of trial.”
Under such circumstances, I am of the opinion that the accused is entitled to be enlarged on bail on certain conditions, court ordered. While filing the complaint, the victim was 22-years-old. It was alleged that in 2010, she ran away from the house and came to Bengaluru. She started working in a bar and restaurant for living. There, she came in contact with the accused and soon they fell in love.
Later, through a friend, she was assured that the accused was keen to marry her and they took a rented house started living together. She stated that the accused had even put sindoor on her head and tied the mangala sutra around her neck.
‘Exploitation’
She alleged that later the accused began exploiting her physically for five years. Thereafter she lodged a complaint stating that the accused and his friends, made false promises about marrying, her for the last five years and exploited her physically and mentally.
The court while granting bail has set certain conditions including directions to execute a personal bond for a sum of Rs 1 lakh with two solvent sureties for the like sum to the satisfaction of the jurisdictional magistrate.
He has to appear before the high court on all the future hearing dates, unless prevented by any genuine cause, and that he shall not indulge in tampering the prosecution witnesses and not to leave the jurisdiction of the court without prior permission until the case registered against him is disposed of.
