IIM Calcutta rape case: Accused gets bail over victim’s non-cooperation

Kolkata: A Kolkata trial court on Saturday granted interim bail to the accused in a rape case involving a woman at the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta (IIM-C) campus earlier this month.

The defence counsel argued that the victim was not cooperating with the investigation—a claim that was echoed during the court proceedings. The accused, a second-year student at IIM-C, was granted bail after the counsel cited three specific instances of the victim's non-cooperation: her refusal to appear before the court three times during the week to have her confidential statement recorded by a judicial magistrate, her unwillingness to undergo a medico-legal examination, and her refusal to hand over the clothes worn at the time of the alleged assault to the investigating officials.

The defence presented these points to support their bail plea, which the judge accepted. The public prosecutor, however, argued that the victim's inability to appear in court was due to the severe psychological trauma she had suffered following the incident.

The accused had been in police custody, which ended on Saturday. Following this, he was produced before the trial court. The prosecution requested judicial custody and mentioned the possibility of seeking another round of police custody if required. Despite these arguments, the judge granted interim bail against a personal bond of Rs 50,000.

The court also imposed certain restrictions on the accused’s movement during the period of interim bail.

With IANS inputs