Disposed¶24

Kaushalya Sahoo & Ors. v. the State NCT of Delhi & Ors.

Delhi HC23 Apr 2026W.P.(CRL)/1311/2026

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

No substantive relief granted; petition disposed of as not pressed with liberty to file a fresh application before the Witness Protection Committee of the concerned District. ¶24

Kaushalya Sahoo & Ors. Vs the State NCT of Delhi & Ors. — Delhi HC (2026) — LawSathi Research

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

No substantive relief granted; petition disposed of as not pressed with liberty to file a fresh application before the Witness Protection Committee of the concerned District.

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Issue for consideration

Whether petitioners are entitled to police protection in view of the alleged threat and pressure from respondent Nos. 2 to 5. +1 more

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Key takeaways

CRL.M.A. 12623/2026 (application for exemption) allowed, subject to all just exceptions.¶12
Petition disposed of as not pressed: after hearing arguments for some time, learned counsel for petitioners did not press for any further relief at the moment, having undertaken to take steps regarding the alleged threat of electricity disconnection and proposed demolition of their house through a fresh application before the Witness Protection Committee of the concerned District.¶24
Liberty granted to petitioners, as prayed, to file a fresh application before the Witness Protection Committee of the concerned District so that requisite directions are passed ensuring their safety and security.¶25

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Delhi High Court (Manoj Jain, J.), order dated 23.04.2026 in W.P.(CRL) 1311/2026: Petitioners Kaushalya Sahoo & Ors. — parents (petitioner Nos. 1 & 2) and sister (petitioner No. 3) of the victim in the pending trial arising from FIR No. 457/2021 under Sections 365/376/506 IPC, in which accused Prabhakar Sharma is in custody — sought police protection and a restraint order against respondent Nos. 2 to 5 (the accused's relatives) directing them not to disconnect the petitioners' electricity connection. Protection for court attendance on trial dates had earlier been granted by the District Witness Protection Committee. Counsel for petitioners, after partial arguments, elected to seek fresh directions from the Witness Protection Committee concerning the alleged threat of electricity disconnection and proposed demolition of their house, and did not press further relief. Petition disposed of as not pressed; liberty granted as prayed. CRL.M.A. 12623/2026 (exemption) allowed.

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$~95

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

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- W.P.(CRL) 1311/2026 KAUSHALYA SAHOO & ORS. .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Tarun Narang Advocate with Mr. Anurag Sharma and Mr. Ekta Khangawal, Advocates along with petitioners-in-person

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versus

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THE STATE NCT OF DELHI & ORS. .....Respondents Through: Mr. Sanjay Lao, Standing Counsel (Crl.) for State/R-1 with Mr. Abhinav Kumar and Mr. Aryan Sachdeva, Advocate for R-1 with SI Bhavna, PS Vikas Puri

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Mr. Ankit Banati, Mr. Vikas Maini, Mr. Deepak Mahajan and Mr. Sanchit Sehgal, Advocates for R-2 to R-5

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CORAM:

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HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE MANOJ JAIN

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O R D E R

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% 23.04.2026

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CRL.M.A. 12623/2026 (for exemption)

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Exemption allowed, subject to all just exceptions.

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W.P.(CRL) 1311/2026

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Petitioners seek police protection and also seek restraint order against respondent Nos. 2 to 5 directing them not to disconnect electricity connection. 2. An FIR No. 457/2021 under Section 365/376/506 IPC was registered and the victim of the sexual assault, in the aforesaid case, is daughter of petitioner Nos. 1 & 2 and sister of petitioner No. 3.

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The aforesaid criminal case is already pending trial and learned counsel for petitioner submits that when earlier application, based on threat perception, was placed before the Witness Protection Committee (WPC) of

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W.P.(CRL) 1311/2026 1

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This is a digitally signed order.

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The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 27/04/2026 at 14:13:30

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the concerned District, certain directions were given and protection was granted to them, while coming to the Court and going back from the Court on the dates when aforesaid criminal case was to be taken by the concerned Court.

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Learned counsel for petitioners submits that though the concerned accused Prabhakar Sharma is in custody, respondent Nos. 2 to 5, who are his relatives, are indulging into unlawful activities and are creating threat and pressure upon them.

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However, after hearing arguments for some time, learned counsel for petitioners submits that he would take steps in relation to the alleged threat with respect to electricity disconnection and proposed demolition action of their house. He seeks liberty to file another application before the Witness Protection Committee of the concerned District so that requisite directions are passed by the Committee while ensuring for safety and security of the petitioners.

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Learned Standing Counsel (Crl.) for State, who appears on advance notice, submits that as a stop-gap arrangement, he has shared mobile number of the concerned SHO, Division Officer and Beat Constable and in case of any difficulty, they can always be contacted.

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In view of the above, learned counsel for petitioners does not press for any further relief at the moment.

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Present petition is accordingly disposed of as not pressed.

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Liberty, as prayed, is granted.

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MANOJ JAIN, J

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APRIL 23, 2026/ dr/sy

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W.P.(CRL) 1311/2026 2

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This is a digitally signed order.

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The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 27/04/2026 at 14:13:30

Kaushalya Sahoo & Ors. v. the State NCT of Delhi & Ors.

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

Kaushalya Sahoo & Ors. v. the State NCT of Delhi & Ors.

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

What the court decided

Issues for consideration

Statutes considered

Procedural history

Parties & counsel

Coram

Case details

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