Kerala High Court denies bail to cop accused of raping minor Dalit girl

The Kerala High Court denied bail to a police officer, accused of raping a 14-year-old school girl two years ago on Children’s Day, saying he committed a “heinous offence”.
The judge, Justice K Babu, denied the bail petition of the officer, who at the time of the rape was a Student Police Cadet instructor at the victim’s school. Justice Babu said the officer had committed “heinous” crime and was, thus, not qualified to “be released on bail”.
In his order, the judge stated: “While the court cannot ignore the fundamental right of the accused under Article 21 of the Constitution, it cannot shut its eyes totally to the atrocious nature of the offence committed.”
Stating that the prosecution had placed evidence that “would reveal that the appellant (police officer) is alleged to have committed heinous offences”, the High Court ruled: “The prosecution has established a prima facie case.”
According to the prosecution, the victim was a member of a Scheduled Caste community, and the accused seduced her by maintaining a relationship with her over the phone.
The prosecution told the court that the accused took the victim to a a house near Kodungallur in Thrissur district on November 14, 2022, on pretext of a birthday treat and then raped her.
The High Court order came on the officer’s application challenging a session court’s decision that rejected his bail application.
The officer was arrested on September 26, 2024 and has been in judicial custody since then.
The officer was booked for various offences, including rape, under the Indian Penal Code, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.