A 25-year-old man was granted bail by a special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act court in Mumbai after he told the court that he was willing to marry the minor, whom he had impregnated.
Minor’s mother, who had initially lodged an FIR, submitted an affidavit in the court supporting the man’s release. The mother told the court that she wanted the accused to marry her daughter who has given birth to their child.
The accused was granted bail after the court concluded that the relationship between the man and the 16-year-old girl was ‘consensual’ and noted that the man was ‘willing’ to marry the minor after two years when she is an adult.
The case of the prosecution is that the accused is an acquaintance of the girl’s father and the girl had kept her pregnancy a secret. It was alleged that when the minor girl told the accused about her pregnancy, he threatened her not to reveal his identity as the father of her unborn child.
While passing the order, the judge heard arguments and said, “It cannot be said the first marriage of the accused was not within their knowledge. As it is submitted that the minor intends to marry him and the accused is also willing to marry her once she turns 18 and that the matter is arising out of the affair and it is the case of a consensual relationship, to me, there is no need to keep the accused behind bars.”
The court further said with the investigations over and chargesheet filed, there was “nothing” to reject the bail application of the accused.
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