Thane Court Rejects Bail For Surat Man Accused Of Raping Model In Mira Road
A Thane sessions court has rejected the bail application of a 27-year-old man accused of raping a model at a hotel in Mira Road, refusing to accept a "compromise" affidavit submitted by the survivor. Additional Sessions Judge P V Ghule passed the order on June 9, ruling that serious offences like rape are non-compoundable and cannot be settled through mutual compromise.
The accused, identified as Akshaykumar Kantilal Jain from Surat, was arrested on April 25 by the Kashimira police. He faces charges under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 64 for rape and 351(2) for criminal intimidation.
According to the prosecution, the 26-year-old complainant, a professional model originally from Punjab, alleged that Jain lured her from Goa to a hotel in Mira Road under the pretext of an acting audition. Once there, he allegedly spiked her tea and forcibly established sexual relations.
During the court proceedings, the defence argued for Jain's release on bail, presenting a notarised affidavit-cum-declaration from the survivor. In the document, the complainant expressed a desire to withdraw her allegations because her marriage had been fixed, and she feared the case would affect her future.
Additional Public Prosecutor Manisha Pawse strongly opposed the bail plea. She argued that the offence was highly serious and non-compoundable, meaning the parties could not legally settle the matter outside of court.
In his ruling, Judge Ghule rejected the compromise attempt, stating that the survivor's fear of spoiling her marriage was irrelevant to the case. He emphasized that rape is an offence against society at large, making a mutual settlement impossible.
The judge noted that the survivor's own affidavit confirmed that the offence had occurred and that she had never consented to sexual relations at the hotel. As the investigation remains incomplete and the police have yet to file a chargesheet, the court ordered that the accused remain in custody.