St Stephen's molestation case: HC grants anticipatory bail to accused professor

New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Monday granted anticipatory bail to St Stephen’s college professor Satish Kumar, accused of molesting a PhD student. Justice Indermeet Kaur, while allowing the relief sought by Kumar, directed him to co-operate with the police and join the investigation as and when asked by them. It asked Kumar to furnish a personal bond of Rs 20,000 with one surety of the like amount. [caption id=“attachment_2338526” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] St Stephen’s Delhi. Agencies[/caption] The court’s order came on the appeal filed by Kumar, an Assistant Professor in the college’s Chemistry Department, challenging the trial court’s 23 June order by which the plea for his anticipatory bail was declined. Kumar had sought anticipatory bail, claiming that the allegations levelled by the girl were “concocted” and there was not a single eye-witness to any of the incidents mentioned in the complaint. His counsel had informed the court that most of the allegations levelled by the girl were of October 2013 and the mail she had annexed in the complaint clearly states that her work was not in progress so she had sought help from accused. “No allegation of molestation was levelled in the mail or the complaint she (girl) wrote to the college principal. The allegation levelled in the FIR were false and fabricated,” Kumar’s counsel had said. The counsel had also stated that the professor could not have molested or followed the girl as he was 85 per cent physically disabled and walked with the help of a stick. The student on 19 June had lodged an FIR against 40-year-old Kumar, alleging that she was sexually assaulted by him and that the college Principal tried to protect him when the matter was reported to the college authorities. However, Kumar, in his plea contended that the student had written three complaints to the college principal and the institution’s Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) which also do not reflect any sexual harassment. The police had said that the girl was allegedly molested by Kumar on 15 October, 2013, in the college laboratory and after this incident, he kept stalking her. The cops said that on the day of the incident, Kumar had called the girl at least 25 times on her mobile phone but she did not answer his calls and later tried to assure her that it will not happen again. PTI