Jailed for raping student, dance teacher moves SC for bail

A dance teacher has approached the Supreme Court seeking bail in a case pertaining to repeated sexual assaults on a 15-year-old student at Bengaluru's 'Attitude Counts Talent Dance Academy' in December 2016.  

A bench of Justices N V Ramana and S Abdul Nazeer issued a  notice to the Karnataka police to the limited extent of calling for medical report depicting the health conditions of Christopher Jaswanthraj (35), who sought bail on medical grounds. He has challenged the high  court's orders of October 31, 2017, that declined to release him on bail, after noting that there were prima facie allegations of sexual acts done by him on the girl. Being a teacher, he had abused his dominating position, it had noted.

The  high court also refused to brush aside the allegations made by the girl in her statement made before a judicial magistrate.

The petitioner, for his part, submitted he had been falsely implicated in the case as similar false allegations were made against earlier, too.

The FIR was lodged against Jaswanthraj at Banaswadi police station under various provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC.

The girl, in her complaint, stated that within months of joining dance classes at Attitude Counts Talent Dance Academy, she faced inappropriate behaviour from  the accused.  After trying to influence her personal and academic life, Jaswanthraj, on December 17, 2016, forced himself upon her by committing a  sexual act. He repeated the similar assaults. The girl decided to lodge the complaint on the advice by another girl.

Jaswanthraj contended the allegations were intended to tarnish his image as nothing as such had happened. Police have already filed the charge sheet in the case. The  high court had asked the trial court to complete the trial as early as possible, preferably within six months.