Court rules out rape, grants bail to Pinki

A West Bengal court on Tuesday granted bail to Asian Games gold medallist Pinki Pramanik after 25 days, dismissing the rape charges against her on the basis of the medical report. “The district and sessions judge (North 24 Parganas) while granting bail to Pinki, based on her medical reports, has held that neither male nor female organ was found so she is physically incapable of committing rape,” Pinki’s counsel Tuhin Roy said.

Pinki was granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 5,000 after being in custody for 25 days. “The women who had alleged that Pramanik had raped her, was in a live in relationship with the athlete for nearly three years and so the relationship was consensual in nature,” Roy added. Meanwhile, the report of Karyotyping- a chromosomal test to determine Pramanik’s gender was submitted before the court by the SSKM Hospital.  The blood sample of Pinki, accused of being a male and responsible for raping a divorcee and a mother of one, was sent to an undisclosed location by the SSKM authorities July 2.

The former athlete, who was arrested on June 14, was initially tested at Barasat district hospital, but was referred to the SSKM hospital since the tests proved inconclusive. An 11-member team from different departments of the SSKM hospital carried out several tests. As it still could not conclude the athlete’s sex, it sent her blood samples for Karyotyping.  Pramanik, however, claimed innocence and said it was a conspiracy. The athlete, who retired from her sport three years ago, won gold in the 4x400 metres relay at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha in Qatar. The runner was a silver medallist at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games the same year.  The Eastern Railway, with which she is a ticket collector, suspended her.