Shimla, Sept 26,
The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Friday adjourned the hearing on the anticipatory bail application of Himachal Administrative Service officer and Una SDM, Vishwa Mohan Dev, who is facing rape and blackmail allegations.
A single bench of Justice Bipin Chandra Negi deferred the matter to October 3 after the State government failed to file its status report. As a result, the officer could not obtain relief from the court, with no interim protection granted against coercive action.
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Dev had moved his plea on Thursday before Justice Rakesh Kainthla, who observed that the FIR on record indicated the commission of rape on August 10 and cited a Supreme Court ruling that pre-arrest bail should generally not be granted in such cases. Justice Kainthla had directed the State to submit a status report by Friday, but the registry later listed the case before Court No. 7, where it will now be heard next week.
Meanwhile, a forensic team on Friday collected samples from the room where the complainant has alleged she was sexually assaulted.
The FIR, filed earlier this week, accuses the SDM of befriending a woman on social media, proposing marriage, and subsequently forcing her into sexual relations at his office and later at a rest house. She further alleged that he recorded an objectionable video to blackmail her, and later abandoned her after she confronted him. The officer has reportedly gone underground following registration of the case.
Taking cognizance of the incident, the Himachal Pradesh State Commission for Women has asked for a fair probe. Commission Chairperson Vidya Devi said she had spoken to the Superintendent of Police, Una, and directed strict action. “The matter will be investigated thoroughly, and the culprit will not be spared,†she stated.
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