The Bombay High Court recently granted bail to a man who allegedly killed his daughter for marrying against his wishes.
Rajkumar Chaurasiya did not approve of his daughter’s marriage, and when her husband wanted to visit his home town, he did not like it as it would damage his reputation.
On July 13, 2019, Mr. Chaurasiya allegedly called his daughter, killed her with a sickle, and threw her body on the footpath in Ghatkopar, a suburb in eastern Mumbai. Her body was recovered, and Mr. Chaurasiya was arrested on July 15. He was charged under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
During a hearing on July 9, advocate Ganesh Gupta, appearing for Mr. Chaurasiya, argued for bail before a single-judge Bench of Justice P.D. Naik.
He said the case is based on circumstantial evidence and there is no cogent evidence against Mr. Chaurasiya. He also said Mr. Chaurasiya’s statement mentioned that a knife was used in the crime, but what was recovered was a sickle.
The prosecution said there is a strong motive for the accused to commit the crime and the call detail record (CDR) shows that there were several calls between the father and the victim on the day of the incident.
The court said, “Undisputedly, the case is based on circumstantial evidence, and although the body was found on the footpath in Ghatkopar, there is no eyewitness. The alleged statement mentioned that the accused was willing to show the knife used in the crime, but a sickle was recovered.”
The Bench said on perusal of the police report with regard to the mobile tower location, it does not appear that the accused was in Ghatkopar. “The prosecution is also relying upon the CDR to show there were calls between the accused and the victim. Since the deceased was his daughter, no adverse inference can be drawn with regard to such calls.”
The court said the accused cannot be detained further and a case for grant of bail is made out. Mr. Chaurasiya was released on a PR bond of ₹25,000.
