Dehradun, May 20 (PTI) A POCSO court in Haldwani on Tuesday rejected the bail plea of a man accused of raping a 12-year-old girl in Uttarakhand’s Nainital.
Special Judge (POCSO) Sudhir Tomar rejected the bail plea of Usman Ali, a contractor, after hearing the arguments of the prosecution and the defense.
The court said that the accused is an influential person and there is a possibility of tampering with the evidence due to his release.
Advocate Manisha Bhandari, appearing for the accused, said that there was a delay in filing the FIR and the accused has been implicated under public pressure.
He said that the accused is a respected contractor of the area and these allegations have been made to affect his reputation.
However, the prosecution opposed the bail plea, saying that the accused has committed a heinous crime like raping a 12-year-old girl.
In a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, SC/ST Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Usman is accused of luring a minor girl into his car on April 12 and allegedly raping her at knife point.
The victim gave full details of the incident in her statement while during the medical examination she also confirmed it in front of the doctor. She also told that the accused threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident.
The FIR of the incident was lodged in Mallital police station on April 30.
After the case came to light, communal tension arose in Nainital.
Locals took to the streets under the leadership of Hindu organisations and protested and during this time some shops of one community were also vandalized. PTI DPT NB
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