The Kerala High Court has granted anticipatory bail to a 70-year-old widower from Kochi in a rape case.
In a complaint lodged with the Thiruvananthapuram medical college police station, a 54- year-old widow had charged the septuagenarian with offences under Sections 376(rape), 420(cheating) and 493(cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of lawful marriage) of Indian Penal Code (IPC).
When she had related her plight, George Albert of Thevara told her that he would marry her immediately and had tied a white thread around her neck making her believe that they were legally married. She alleged that he had made her believe that he had married her lawfully, leading to sexual intercourse between them. However, she later learnt that no valid marriage had taken place.
The court while granting bail observed that it was quite difficult to believe at this stage that the victim believed the words of the petitioner. Whether the consent given by the victim for the sexual intercourse was vitiated was a question of fact. As of now, the allegations in the complaint could be accepted only with a pinch of salt.
Besides, the petitioner is 70 years old. The court ordered that in the event of his arrest, he should be released on bail on executing a bond for ₹50,000. The other condition was that he should appear before the investigating officer for interrogation if he was so required.
