Madhya Pradesh HC orders release of rape convict on bail after appeal

BHOPAL: A division bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court has ordered the release on bail of a man who was sentenced to life imprisonment along with his son in a rape case.Bajuram Mehra and his son, Vidhayak Mehra, had appealed against a sessions court order in Anuppur district, which found them guilty of rape and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

They argued that the complainant is a married woman.According to the men, the incident took place on 17 December 2019, while her sample for a DNA test was collected on 20 January 2020. In the meantime, she had intercourse with her husband. They claimed the encounter between Vidhayak Mehra and the woman was consensual and that Bajuram Mehra was wrongly implicated. They also contended that the DNA report is unreliable due to the delay of over a month in conducting the test.Following the initial hearing of their appeal, the bench of Justice Vivek Agarwal and Justice A.K. Singh ordered the suspension of Bajuram Mehra’s sentence and his release on bail.