Ritesh Sonkar v. State of U.P. Thru. Secy. Deptt. Home Lko. and 3 Others
Case brief
What is this about?
Keywords: bail; CRIMINAL MISC. BAIL APPLICATION; POCSO Act Section 3/4 and 7/8; B.N.S. Sections 115(2), 137(2), 87, 64(1); BNSS Sections 180 and 183 (victim statements); I.P.C. Sections 354, 323, 504, 506 (prior case CC No.278 of 2023); enticement/kidnapping of minor girl; marriage in temple; exculpatory victim statements; medico-legal and radiological age determination (16-17 years); no spermatozoa in smear; charge sheet dated 20.09.2024; custody since 03.09.2024; young accused aged 19; District Bahraich; Police Station Matera; Allahabad High Court Lucknow Bench; neutral citation 2025:AHC-LKO:30602; Judge Subhash Vidyarthi. Relevance: illustration of bail grant in a POCSO/BNS enticement case where the victim's own recorded statements do not implicate the accused, the medical report shows no force, and the accused is a young person with substantially clean antecedents.
What did the court decide?
Release of applicant-Ritesh Sonkar on bail in Case Crime No. 175 of 2024 on furnishing a personal bond and two sureties each in the like amount to the satisfaction of magistrate/court concerned, subject to conditions: (i) the applicant shall not tamper with the prosecution evidence; (ii) the applicant shall not pressurize the prosecution witnesses; (iii) the applicant shall appear on each and every date fixed by the trial court, unless his appearance is exempted by the learned trial court.