13 April,2016 07:04 AM IST | | Vinay Dalvi
Rahul Raj Singh is safe from arrest, at least until April 18, as the Bombay High Court granted him interim relief. But this relief could be short-lived
Rahul Raj Singh is safe from arrest, at least until April 18, as the Bombay High Court granted him interim relief. But this relief could be short-lived for Rahul - who stands accused of abetting his girlfriend Pratyusha Banerjee's suicide - as the prosecution implied they might return with more serious charges against him next week.
Rahul Raj Singh
TV actress Pratyusha (of Balika Vadhu fame) was found hanging in the Goregaon apartment where she lived with Rahul. He was charged under Sections 306 (abetment of suicide), 504, (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code.
However, Rahul remains under treatment for depression and stress at a private hospital, and approached the court in the fear of being arrested.
Before anybody could utter a word, Justice Mrudula Bhatkar asked the state senior counsel Usha Kejriwal, whether Rahul had attended the Bangur Nagar police station, where the offence is registered? "He attended before, when the FIR had not been registered against him, and it was only a case of accidental death (ADR)," Kejriwal told the court.
"I will give him interim relief from arrest only he will have to attend police station and co-operate in investigations," Justice Bhatkar said to Aabad Ponda, the senior counsel appearing for Rahul.
However, the prosecutor requested the court to restrict the duration of the relief saying, "As of now, it is a suicide case, but please don't give interim relief for a long time as we will return next week with more concrete evidence. Rahul use to harass Pratyusha, he used to take her debit cards and withdraw money from her accounts," said Kejriwal.
Additional public prosecutor Kejriwal added, "Rahul was present on the day Pratyusha committed suicide on April 1. He left the flat around 3 pm. We are yet to confirm the time of Pratyusha's death and only FSL can tell us the exact time. We are waiting for the reports. Rahul was also the one who noticed her body first and informed others about her suicide, which makes his role suspicious."
The Justice finally granted interim relief from arrest till April 18 till the time it will hear the matter next. "Rahul will have to attend police station daily between 11 to 1 pm," said Justice Bhatkar.
