Team Goemkarponn
MAPUSA: Mahamedsadiq Badiger of Saligao was arrested on suspicion of raping a lady and was given conditional release by the North Goa Sessions Court and Fast Track Special Court (POCSO).
In order to be released, Badiger must sign a bail bond of Rs 50,000 with a surety in the same amount. He must also be present at the relevant police station for 15 days starting on the day of his release, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., excluding Sundays and public holidays.
He has been asked not to tamper with the evidence or intimidate the victim or any of the witnesses. The applicant has been instructed to forfeit his passport, if he has one, and to refrain from leaving the state without this court’s approval.
He has also been advised to assist the investigating agency and refrain from going within a kilometer of the victim’s home.
Adv Vinayak Porob made the case on the applicant’s behalf, claiming that the applicant was wrongfully accused of the crime for which Section 69 of the BNS 2023 provides punishment. The complainant and the accused allegedly became friends in September 2024 and have since engaged in sexual relations under the guise of marriage.
The accused was given bail after the courts determined that there was a consensual connection.
PSI Laureen Sequeira, the investigating officer, informed the court that the victim’s medical report was still pending and that the statements of numerous other witnesses needed to be recorded in opposition to the bail motion. The victim’s feelings were broken by the accused’s major offense, and she even filed for divorce from her husband last year.
Nonetheless, the Sessions Court granted the accused conditional release, stating that there was a consensual relationship of some sort between the parties.