Overview
- Justice Neela Gokhale set aside the Thane trial court’s June bail order, saying it ignored relevant material and the gravity of the allegations.
- The court held that a teenager’s delayed disclosure was understandable, noting assaults allegedly began when she was 14 and the FIR followed promptly after the last incident in April.
- The High Court said keeping the accused at liberty posed a real risk of influencing witnesses and endangering the victim and her mother.
- The state prosecutor supported cancellation, and the court recorded that the accused and his lawyer did not appear despite notice.
- Police were directed to take the accused into custody immediately, with prosecutors also pointing to a seized WhatsApp voice note sent for forensic examination.