Maharashtra govt could challenge DIG Paraskar's discharge order

A month after a Sessions court discharged him in an alleged rape case, trouble has started brewing for suspended Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sunil Paraskar once again. The state is thinking of challenging the discharge order in the Bombay High Court.

Suspended DIG Sunil Paraskar. File pic

A source close to the case said, "The report of challenging the discharge application was sent by an investigating agency to the Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Atulchandra Kulkarni, who forwarded the same to the Commissioner of Police Ahmad Javed. After discussing it, the state is thinking of challenging Paraskar's discharge order. Even the public prosecutor in the case has given the consent, saying that it can be challenged."

When mid-day asked the special Public Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat, if they are challenging the order, he said, "The order passed by the Sessions court can be
challenged."

The case
The Dindoshi Sessions court discharged Paraskar on December 4. The suspended DIG was accused of molesting and raping a city-based model. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him in July 2014, by the suburban Malwani police under sections 376(2), 376 C and 354(D) of the Indian Penal Code.

The complainant, a 25-year-old model, had alleged that Paraskar (57) molested and sexually assaulted her on two occasions in December 2013. According to her, she had met Paraskar for the first time in 2012 regarding a case. He was an Additional Commissioner of Police at the time. Special women's court judge V A Raut had discharged Paraskar of all the charges levelled by the model, after hearing arguments from both the sides. The arguments took place in-camera, after an application was filed by the model and accepted by the court.