The Delhi High Court on Monday denied statutory bail to suspended Delhi government official Premoday Khakha and his wife Seema Rani Khakha in a case involving allegations that a 16-year-old minor girl living at their residence was subjected to rape repeatedly for months.Justice Jyoti Singh rejected the bail plea.The accused official, who had been serving in Delhi's Women and Child Department, and his wife had approached the High Court seeking bail under Section 167(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).In their bail plea, it was argued that the Delhi Police had failed to complete its investigation in the case within the stipulated time.However, the Court found that the chargesheet in the case was filed on time and that cognisance was also taken as per the law.Justice Singh further observed that Khakha had failed to provide medical evidence (his semen) to the investigating authorities when he was taken to the hospital and that two of the co-accused were still absconding in the case.The Court, therefore, upheld the trial court order rejecting Khakhas’ plea.Khakha was posted as Assistant Director in the Delhi government’s Women and Child Development Department. He was arrested by the Delhi Police on August 21, 2023, and shortly thereafter, suspended from the job.His wife Seema Rani was also arrested by the Police for allegedly having aided and abetted Khakha in raping the victim.According to news reports, the rapes allegedly occurred between November 2020 and January 2021 when the girl was living with Khakha and his wife after the death of her father.The rapes were revealed after the girl narrated the ordeal to a therapist at Delhi's St Stephen's Hospital, where she was receiving treatment for panic attacks. She called Khakha ‘mama’ (uncle).The Delhi High Court later took suo motu cognisance of the issue and expressed concerns regarding protecting the identity of the victim.
TAGS: Delhi High Court Premoday Khakha Seema Rani Khakha statutory bail rape case minor girl Women and Child Department
