Gangrape case: Accused gets relief from arrest till Tuesday

Mumbai, Apr 20 (PTI) Vinamra Soni, one of the persons
wanted in the gangrape case of a foreign national student of
Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) was granted relief
from arrest till Tuesday.

A sessions court will hear the anticipatory bail
application filed by him Monday in person. He was at large
after the victim lodged a police complaint.

Soni, 21, who has been accused of raping a 23-year-old
US national student of the prestigious institute Monday
approached the sessions court seeking anticipatory bail,
apprehending arrest in the case. He was at large after the
victim lodged a complaint and he appeared in court Monday.

Five persons have already been arrested in connection
with the alleged rape, that occurred on April 11 in a flat in
suburban Andheri.

The prosecution sought time till tomorrow to file a
reply to Soni's application and told the court that the police
would not arrest Soni until then.

Additional sessions Judge K P Joshi while granting
prosecution the time also directed the accused to remain
present in court Tuesday also.

Soni's application states that he has been falsely
implicated in the case and that the victim is trying to malign
his image.
"When we went to our friend Kundan's place in Andheri
to rest, she (victim) passed advances at me and asked me to
kiss her. I only kissed her and went to sleep. I do not know
what happened after that and the other guys must have had
intercourse with her," Soni told PTI outside the court.

"The next morning, Harsh took her to a chemist shop
and brought her contraceptives, but I sat in the rickshaw as I
wanted to stay out of the whole incident," he said.

Soni further said that he has photographs of the
victim and the other accused taken on the night of the
incident. "I will produce those photos before the court at the
appropriate time," Soni said.

Soni's lawyer N D Patil questioned the delay in
lodging a police complaint as the victim had approached
authorities after three days of the alleged incident.

Patil alleged that the victim had agreed to have sex
with the youths and changed tracks when they refused to pay
her.

Soni's application states that custodial interrogation
is not required as a long time has passed since the incident.
PTI SP