RANJITH Vs. STATE OF KERALA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This is an application for regular bail.

(2.) The petitioner is the accused in Crime No.175 of 2021 of Pavaratty Police Station, Thrissur District, alleging commission of offences under Ss. 376(1), 450 and 506(II) of the Indian Penal Code. The allegation against the petitioner is that he and the de-facto complainant are immediate neighbours and they became close over social media and that at the instance of the petitioner, certain intimate photos of the de-facto complainant were shared with the petitioner and using the same, he had threatened her and compelled her to have sexual intercourse with him on two occasions namely on 10/2/2020 and again on 15/12/2020 and thereby committed the aforesaid offences.

(3.) The learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the relationship between the petitioner and the de-facto complainant were purely consensual (if at all) and this is evident from the fact that even going by the version given by the de-facto complainant, the alleged incident of rape on 15/12/2020 happened at the dead of night at the house of the de-facto complainant and that the de-facto complainant had herself opened the door of the house for the petitioner. It is submitted that the petitioner and the de-facto complainant were close friends and there was no other relationship between them.