Trouble for singer Ankit Tiwari: Court turns down discharge plea in rape case

Mumbai: A special womens’ court on Wednesday rejected the discharge plea moved by Bollywood playback singer Ankit Tiwari who was arrested for allegedly raping a woman.

The singer-musician was arrested in 2014 and was granted bail a month later.

“The application is rejected,” said Special Judge A S Shende.

In the application moved on 28 April, Tiwari had said that the allegations made by the victim in the written statement to the police and the FIR are different.

His application also stated that the victim has alleged that she has never consumed liquor but the “fact remains that the victim was working in an advertising company related to entertainment industry and it cannot be believed that she had never consumed alcohol.”

In the application, Tiwari had also said that the relationship between him and the victim was consensual.

Tiwari also said that the allegation that he made a video clip and threatened to make it public is false.

Tiwari (24) was arrested by the suburban Versova police on 8 May after the woman, allegedly his one-time girlfriend, filed a complaint saying that he raped her repeatedly between October 2012 and December 2013 after promising to marry her but did not keep the word.

Tiwari’s brother Ankur was also arrested for allegedly threatening the victim. The singer was booked under sections 376 (rape), 493 (cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of lawful marriage) and 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code.

Tiwari is known for the hit song ‘Sun Raha Hai Na’ from the film ‘Aashiqui 2’.