“Will you marry her?” Supreme Court asked accused in a rape case

“If you want to marry (her) we can help you. If not, you lose your job and go to jail. You seduced the girl, raped her,” Chief Justice of India SA Bobde told a rape accused Monday.

The top court was hearing a bail request of Mohit Subhash Chavan, a technician with the Maharashtra State Electric Production Company who has been accused of raping a schoolgirl on false promise of marriage and faces charges under the severe POSCO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) law.

After getting instructions from the accused, lawyer told the top court that the marriage with woman not possible as the accused is already married.

“Initially I wanted to marry her. But she refused. Now I cannot as I am already married,” accused Chavan told the court.

“I am a government servant and if I am arrested I will be suspended automatically,” he further said to the court.

‘You should have thought before seducing and raping the young girl. You know you are a govt servant’, CJI said during the hearing.

However, the SC has granted interim protection from arrest for four-weeks to the accused.

“That’s why we have given you this indulgence. We will stay the arrest for four weeks. Then you apply for regular bail,” said Chief Justice Bobde.

The case

When the schoolgirl, rape survivor went to the police station, Chavan’s mother had offered marriage. But she had reportedly refused. Then a document was executed to say that there would be a marriage once the minor girl turned 18. When the girl turned 18, however, Chavan refused to marry her. That is when a rape complaint was filed against him.