The Supreme Court of India directed a former chief secretary of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Monday to move the trial court for anticipatory bail in a gangrape case filed by a 21-year-old woman against him and others.
A bench of justices Krishna Murari and S Ravindra Bhat directed the accused, Jitendra Narain, to approach the sessions court on November 9, and directed that the matter be decided by November 11.
"Interest of justice will be served if the respondent applies for anticipatory bail before the jurisdictional sessions court. Let the party approach the sessions court on November 9 and let the matter be decided by November 11 (by the sessions court)," the bench said, adding that "at this stage, we cannot curtail him the right to apply for bail."
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the accused has already tampered with evidence.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the accused in the matter, however, told the court that the complaint was motivated as the complainant was the daughter-in-law of a person who was terminated from service by the former chief secretary.
"My client has done nothing in 17 days. The police is outside the former chief secretary's residence in Port Blair and he led a blemishless career and just because he terminated someone's employment, all of this is happening," he said.
The complainant has alleged that she was raped by Narain and others after being lured to the chief secretary's residence with the promise of a government job.
The FIR was registered on October 1, when Narain was posted as the chairman and managing director of the Delhi Financial Corporation. The Centre suspended him on October 17.
The Calcutta high court had directed Narain to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the gangrape charge against him and the other accused by October 28.
It had granted interim protection against arrest to Narain till a date that will be fixed by its circuit bench in Port Blair on November 14, on its first sitting after the Puja vacation.
The SIT is probing the woman's allegation that she was raped by Narain and others on April 14 and May 1 on the basis of an FIR filed at the Aberdeen police station in Port Blair.
