No anticipatory bail for banker in air hostess rape case

The Delhi High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of an investment banker who is accused of raping a former air hostess of a foreign airlines on the pretext of marrying her.

A bench of Justice Mukta Gupta refused to grant any relief to accused Tapasije Mishra for the reason that "unwarranted" pictures and jewellery of the woman are in his possession.

"The chip containing the unwarranted photographs of the complainant (woman) are in the possession of the petitioner no. 2 (Mishra) and her jewellery articles have also not been returned as of yet. For the reasons noted, I find no reason to grant anticipatory bail to the petitioner no. 2," the judge said.

The court also doubted the authenticity of the emails relied upon by Mishra to contend that the woman had consented to a live-in relationship with him and that they had parted on cordial terms in 2012.

"Most of the emails relied on by counsel for petitioner no. 2 relate to '[e-mail]' which ID does not exist. Thus, the authenticity of the emails is in doubt at the moment," the court said and disposed of his plea.

The high court, however, granted anticipatory bail to the man's father who is also an accused in the rape case for allegedly permitting sexual exploitation of the woman by his son at their residence in Mumbai. Opposing Mishra's anticipatory bail plea, the woman has alleged the man established a sexual relationship with her by hiding the fact that he was married.

The woman, a divorcee with a nine-year-old son, has also alleged he had tampered with evidence in the case, subsequent to lodging of the FIR under section 376(rape) at Vasant Kunj police station here last year. The high court had in July 2013 in an interim order directed that no coercive steps be taken against Mishra and had ordered him to cooperate with the investigation in the case.

Prior to that in July 2013, a trial court here had rejected Mishra's plea for anticipatory bail.

According to the woman's complaint, Mishra had sexual relations with her for over three years from 2008-09 on the promise of marrying her.

Thereafter, she had found out that he was already married and Mishra had backtracked from his promises, she had alleged.

She had also alleged she had been theatened by Mishra and his father to stay away from him.