Delhi Court Grants Bail To Airline Employee Held For Alleged Assault And Torture Of Minor Domestic Help

A Delhi Court has granted bail to Vistara Ground Staff Engineer and husband of the de-rostered woman pilot, formerly working as a Jr. First Officer with Indigo Airlines, who was arrested along with his wife in July 2023 for allegedly employing a 10-year-old girl as a domestic help and torturing her.

The couple who had employed the girl to take care of their 4-year-old minor son, were manhandled and beaten up by a mob outside their house prior to their arrest, after the injury marks on the girl’s arms and under her eyes were seen by local residents.

Later, an FIR was registered against the couple under the Indian Penal Code, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

In August, the de-rostered Indigo pilot, and a co-accused in the case, was granted bail by a Delhi Court.

The court of the Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ), while granting bail to the husband, observed that since his arrest on 19.07.2023, he had been in Judicial Custody. Further, after his arrest, police custody was never sought by the Investigating Officer (I.O.), which showed that his custodial interrogation was not required for investigation.

Referring to the statement given by the minor victim/ complainant, the court was further of the view that prima facie, the allegations against both the accused were similar and that they both had assaulted the victim.

The court remarked that investigation in the case was pending only with respect to the opinion on the Medico-Legal Case (MLC) of the victim/ complainant and to record the statement of the victim’s father, and for that the custodial interrogation of the accused was not necessary. Further, since the accused was working as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer at Vistara Airlines, there were no chances of his fleeing, the court observed.

“Further, as per the submissions of the IO, the child is still with CW and her statement has already been recorded thus, no fruitful purpose would be served by keeping the accused behind bars, who was in custody since 19.07.2023,” the court added.

“Accordingly, the applicant/accused is admitted to bail on furnishing his personal bond in the sum of Rs, 1,00,000/- with one surety of the like amount to the satisfaction of Ld. MM/Ld. Duty MM/Ld. Link MM,” the court said.

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