Minor’s sexual assault case: Suspended govt officer’s wife Seema Rani Khakha seeks bail in Delhi HC

New Delhi: The wife of suspended Delhi govt officer Premoday Khakha on Thursday approached Delhi High Court seeking bail in a case involving alleged rape of a minor.Appearing before Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, the counsel for Seema Rani Khakha submitted she has been in custody since Aug 2023 and has been discharged of the offences of abetment of rape.This is her second regular bail plea in the HC, after the Supreme Court last year asked her to approach the trial court for bail after one year, the lawyer submitted, adding that the same was rejected.Police opposed the plea and said the mother of the minor was yet to be examined in the trial court, and there was an apprehension that the accused would influence the victim as both go to the same church.Counsel for the police highlighted that the trial court has passed a detailed order rejecting the bail plea.

HC then agreed to hear arguments but adjourned the hearing till May 4 on a request by Khakha’s counsel.Premoday Khakha allegedly raped a minor girl, the daughter of a person known to him, several times between Nov 2020 and Jan 2021, and is currently in judicial custody after being arrested in Aug 2023.The official’s wife allegedly administered the girl medicines to terminate her pregnancy. She too has been in jail since her arrest with her husband.

Last year, HC had upheld the framing of charges against the official in the case. Premoday was charged for the alleged offences of raping a woman while being a relative or in a position of trust or authority towards her, raping a girl under 16 years of age and causing hurt.It, however, quashed the charges against Seema Rani Khakha for abetting the commission of rape and penetrative sexual assault.The husband-wife duo was arrested in 2023 after the survivor recorded her statement before a magistrate at a hospital.The case was registered under the provisions of the Pocso Act and the IPC.In Sept 2024, HC dismissed the bail application of Seema Rani Khakha, saying the case “strikes at the root of trust between two families” and the possibility of influencing witnesses cannot be ruled out at this stage.