Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has granted bail to a college student in custody under POCSO Act with a direction to the accused to appear before the trial court on every date of hearing.
A division bench of Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Gaurang Kanth granted bail on March 19 after going through the records and materials submitted by cops on division bench’s direction.
The alleged victim is a minor, who had reportedly laid a honey trap from her mother’s cellphone. The college student was apparently lured to the site and later, he met the minor. The complaint under POCSO Act was allegedly lodged after the student failed to pay Rs 2 lakh to the victim, after her mother demanded the sum. “Petitioner contends a honey trap was laid through a link, ‘Ayesha Pori’. Proposal for casual dating was made. Petitioner indulged in a conversation and fell prey to the trap. He was blackmailed and falsely implicated,” the division bench held. The bench took note of the portion where it was referred the link was created through the device belonging to the victim’s mother.
The bench held the prosecution case of forcible sexual intercourse was an improbability and that the possibilities of blackmailing and implicating the accused in a false case by laying a honey trap could not be ruled out.