No force, but will you marry the minor you raped, Supreme Court asks govt employee

New Delhi, March 1

The Supreme Court on Monday asked a 23-year-old man accused of raping a minor girl if he was ready to marry the victim. “Will you marry her?” a Bench led by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde asked the counsel for the accused.

The counsel said he needed to take instructions from his client, Mohit Subhash Chavan, a technician with the Maharashtra State Electric Production Company.

Noting that his client was a government servant, he argued that he would face suspension due to his arrest in the matter.

“We are not forcing you to marry. Let us know if you will. Otherwise, you will say we are forcing you to marry her. The counsel for the accused said, “I wanted to marry her. But she refused. Now I can’t, as I am already married. The trial is going on… charges are yet to be framed,” the CJI-led Bench said.

The court stayed the petitioner’s arrest and granted him interim protection for four weeks to enable him to apply for regular bail. — TNS