UP man accused of abducting, marrying minor girl denied pre-arrest bail

Khargone: A special Pocso court in MP’s Khargone district on Wednesday rejected the anticipatory bail application of a 25-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh, accused of abducting and marrying a minor girl after allegedly luring her with the promise of work in films.The presiding judge at the special Pocso court in Mandleshwar, Ravi Zarola, dismissed the plea filed by the accused, a resident of Baghpat district of UP, presently residing in Kochi, holding that considering the gravity of the allegations and the ongoing investigation, there were no grounds to grant him pre-arrest bail.According to the prosecution, a case was registered against against the accused at Maheshwar police station under Sections 137(2), 81, 83 and 87 of BNS, provisions of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, and sections 3(2)(v) and 3(2)(va) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.The minor’s father lodged a complaint on March 25, this year, alleging that the UP man contacted his minor daughter over phone, promising to give her a break in films. He claimed further that the accused arranged her air travel to Kerala and later married her.The prosecution alleged that the accused confined the girl in Kerala, prevented her from meeting her family, also later refusing to let her parents take her back.

It alleged further that the accused did not cooperate with the investigation and remained absconding, raising apprehensions that he could influence witnesses or tamper with evidence if granted anticipatory bail.The defence argued that the relationship was consensual, claiming the girl was an adult, submitting documents including what it claimed to be her birth certificate and marriage registration paper.The defence also claimed that her father had once accompanied her to a film shoot, raising no such allegations at the time.However, the prosecution challenged the authenticity of the documents produced by the accused, alleging that the document they claimed to be her birth certificate contradicted the official record.After hearing both sides, the court denied pre-arrest bail to the UP man citing the ongoing probe and the fact that he wasn’t cooperating with the police.Significantly, the court observed that there was a need for further probe to determine the girl’s age.