Allegations Offend Victim's Dignity: Allahabad High Court Denies Bail To Man Accused Of Forcing Wife Into Prostitution

The Allahabad High Court last week denied bail to a man who has been accused of forcing his wife into prostitution by compelling her to make physical relationships with his friends and other persons. Noting that the allegations against the husband are rare and the prosecution's case was not a simple case of matrimonial dispute between husband and wife, a bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh observed thus: “This Court is of the view that aforesaid allegation is serious blow to the Supreme honour of the victim and offends her self esteem and dignity. It degrades and humiliates the victim, it leaves behind a traumatic experience, a rapist not only cause physical injuries, but more indelibly leaves a blot on the most cherished possession of a women i.e. dignity, honour and reputation.” As per the prosecution's case, the complainant (mother of the victim) lodged an FIR on June 17, 2024, against her son-in-law (victim's husband), alleging that the couple got married in February 2024. After the marriage, she learned that the applicant was involved in illegal activities and did not let her daughter contact her. It was further alleged that after tracing a lot, the complainant found her daughter, who started crying and told her the entire story that the applicant forcibly compelled her to establish a physical relationship with other men. The applicant-accused was booked under Sections 498-A, 323, 328, 376-D, 504, 506, 120-B I.P.C. and Sections 3/4 Dowry Prohibition Act and arrested in August 2024. Seeking bail in the case, the applicant approached the HC, contending that he had been falsely implicated in this case on account of a matrimonial dispute. It was also submitted that the complainant and her husband took their daughter (victim) away from her matrimonial home with the help of police. On the other hand, the AGA for the State, as well as counsel for the complainant, opposed the applicant's bail plea by contending that, in fact, the applicant had solemnized marriage with the victim with an ulterior motive to force her into prostitution. It was submitted that the accused-husband started harassing the victim by sending his friends and other persons into her room for physical relations, and as such, the victim was compelled to make physical relations with them, which is a heinous offence and thus, bail should not be granted to him. Against this backdrop, and noting that, in her Section 164 CrPC statement, the victim has specifically alleged that her husband compelled her to engage in physical relationships with his friends after giving her a liquid substance that caused her hands and legs to shiver and lose consciousness, the Court rejected the bail plea. Case title - Salman vs. State of U.P 2025 LiveLaw (AB) 2 Case citation: 2025 LiveLaw (AB) 2 Click Here To Read/DownloadOrder

Allegations Offend Victim's Dignity: Allahabad High Court Denies Bail To Man Accused Of Forcing Wife Into Prostitution

Sparsh Upadhyay

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