Mumbai: Vikas Sachdeva, who was arrested on Sunday for the alleged molestation of a 17-year-old actor on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight, was on Wednesday remanded in judicial custody till December 22. Mr. Sachdeva’s bail application will be heard on Friday.
During the hearing in the City Sessions Court, Dindoshi, Mr. Sachdeva’s lawyer, H.S. Anand, claimed that the accused was not given prior notice before his arrest. “Under Section 41 of the Criminal Procedure Code, a notice should have been given before the arrest. What was the urgency to arrest him? This is nothing but illegal detention.”
Mr. Sachdeva, who was remanded in police custody for two days on Monday, had allegedly rubbed his feet against the actor’s neck and back. “The neck and back of a passenger is rested on the seat, not the arm rest. Also, the accused had taken a blanket from an air hostess and slept throughout the journey. Where is the question of sexual intent?” the defence lawyer asked.
The lawyer also submitted photographs to draw the court’s attention to the discrepancies. Mr. Anand said that the remand said Mr. Sachdeva was arrested at 9.30 p.m. “However, CCTV footage shows that the police arrested him at 1.10 p.m..”
Mr. Sachdeva was booked under Section 354 (outraging a woman’s modesty) of the IPC and Section 8 (sexual assault) of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
