HC rejects advance bail plea of senior journo allegedly involved in sexual abuse
Chennai: The Madras high court has dismissed an anticipatory bail petition filed by asenior journalist, who apprehended arrest in connection with a complaint lodged by a woman, alleging that he had sexually abused her at her residence in the city, besides posting false messages in social media as if she is acting in the pornography movies.
Dismissing the petition filed by Prakash M.Swamy, Justice G.K.Ilanthiraiyan said, “Considering the facts and circumstances of the case and also considering the serious offence committed by the petitioner, this court is not inclined to grant anticipatory bail to the petitioner, since the custody of the petitioner is very much required in this case. Accordingly, the petition stands dismissed”.
Petitioner’s counsel T.S.Rajamohan submitted that the petitioner is a senior journalist and he is not in any way connected with the offence as alleged by the prosecution. The petitioner was called by the defacto complainant to help her with regard to her son’s passport. In this regard, he has helped her as a father figure. Thereafter, he found that the defacto complainant’s husband met with mysterious death and at the request of the parents of the defacto complainant, he enquired the issue, as such, the defacto complainant developed a grudge over the petitioner and the entire false complaint came to be lodged, he added.
John Sathyan, counsel for the Intervener/defacto complainant submitted that the petitioner misbehaved with the defacto complainant and he has also posted so many false messages about the defacto complainant as if she was acting in the pornography movies and he has also posted false messages tarnishing the names of the defacto complainant and her daughter in the society and therefore committed a very serious offence. John Sathyan has also produced photographs and messages in the face book and whatsapp and submitted that the petitioner has committed a serious offence under the Information Technology Act and the custody of the petitioner was very much required in this case, he added.
Additional public prosecutor M.Prabhavathy submitted that the accused has posted the defacto complainant’s photographs and messages in the social media like whatsapp and face book. The alleged offence was that the accused came forward offering his help to sort out the defacto complainant’s son’s issue with the passport on June 30, 2018. The accused went to the house of the defacto complainant and he made so many phone calls to travel agents with regard to her son’s passport attested earlier and also got her the death certificate of her husband. At that juncture, the accused sexually abused her. When, she screamed for help, her daughter rescued her from the hands of the accused. Hence, the defacto complainant lodged a complaint immediately for the alleged offence. Since no action was taken, the complainant approached the Metropolitan Magistrate, Saidapet with a private complaint and thereafter a case was registered, she added.
The judge said it was seen from the records that the petitioner was a Journalist and he was approached by the defacto complainant to set right the issue of the defacto complainant son’s passport. In this regard, on the date of occurrence, the petitioner went to the house of the defacto complainant and he misbehaved with her. He has also posted so many messages and photographs of the defacto complainant as well as her daughter, aged 16 years, the judge added and dismissing the anticipatory bail petition.
