The sessions court on Tuesday granted bail to Nitin Chandrapratap Shukla, an assistant commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), exactly a month and a half after his arrest. Shukla was arrested on April 27 by the Parksite police on a complaint of alleged sexual assault on the false promise of marriage.
Background of the Case
Shukla (37) was working as a ward officer for over a year at the time of his arrest. Prior to his appointment as the K-east ward officer, he served in B ward and F North ward. He also worked in the Building Proposal Department as a sub-engineer. According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered on Sunday, the complainant, a 32-year-old architect, alleged that Shukla developed a relationship with her in 2023 when she approached the Building Proposal department for approvals related to a construction proposal.
Details of the Allegations
The prosecution stated that the victim and Shukla came into contact in February 2023 regarding a building proposal file while he was serving as a sub-engineer. They became friends and remained in contact. The complainant alleged that Shukla told her about marital discord with his wife and promised to marry her after obtaining a divorce. Based on this promise, he allegedly established physical relations with her between September 2023 and January 2026, later refusing to marry her.
Arguments in Court
During the hearing, Shukla's counsel, Sudeep Pasbola, argued that both the accused and the complainant were mature adults and that the complainant was fully aware that Shukla was already married. The defense also claimed that the complainant had started extorting money from him in 2026. It was further submitted that Shukla had been behind bars since April 24, the investigation was completed, and the charge sheet had already been filed.
Advocate Bhomesh Bellam, representing the prosecutrix, submitted that the accused had promised to marry her by divorcing his wife. He committed sexual intercourse with her about six times using deceitful means, constituting an offense under Section 69 of the BNS. Bellam argued that if the accused was released on bail, there would be a threat to the life of the prosecutrix, and thus the application should be rejected.
Court's Decision
Additional Sessions Judge S.K. Karhale observed that both parties were educated adults and had maintained a prolonged relationship. The court noted that the accused had been in custody for over a month, the investigation was complete, and there was no possibility of the trial commencing in the near future. Consequently, the court granted bail to Shukla on a personal bond of Rs. 25,000 with one surety of the like amount. The court also directed him not to tamper with prosecution witnesses.
