SC To Hear Biti Mohanti’s Bail Plea In German Girl Rape Case Today

The Supreme Court to hear on Friday the bail plea of Bitihotra Mohanti alias Biti, son of a retired IPS officer who was sentenced to seven years in jail for raping a German girl in 2006 at a hotel in Alwar.

The incident had hit the newspaper headlines for several days as Mohanti, son of the then Odisha DGP B B Mohanti, had also jumped parole for more than six years after spending seven months in jail.

In November last year, the Rajasthan high court had dismissed his appeal against conviction.

The high court had rejected Biti’s plea that the act was a case of consent, adding that the girl had admitted in her cross examination that she had asked him to use a condom during the sexual act.

It accepted the victim’s statement that she had come from Germany to India to do research work and became friends with Biti in Delhi through common German friends. Both of them had gone to Alwar.

The court said, "the victim insisted that she wanted a separate room for the night stay. Had the victim been a consenting party she would have agreed for a common room. The victim had drinks with dinner does not led to inference that she had given consent for sexual intercourse. She had asked Biti to leave her room after dinner but he had stayed over there and had forced upon her."

Against the high court judgment, Biti has now approached the Apex Court against his conviction. He also sought bail.

TIME LINE OF THE CASE

March, 2006 : Biti was arrested for raping the 26 year-old German girl, who was pursuing MBA course in an institute in Delhi. Trial began in a court in April.

November 2006: soon after his conviction, Biti was granted parole for 15 days to leave the central jail in Jaipur to visit his ailing mother. But, on the scheduled date of December 4, 2006 Mohanty failed to turn up.

March 2013: Biti was arrested by Kerala police when he was posing as a probationary officer in State Bank of Travancore, the leading public sector bank in the state, with a totally new identity.
During the period, Biti had reportedly stayed in Kannur for several years and allegedly even obtained an MBA degree from a local college.

November 2016: Rajasthan High Court rejected his appeal against conviction.

This article has been made possible because of financial support from Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation.