Delhi HC denies bail to accused in JNU student rape case

Holding that there were chances that the Afghan national, who was arrested for allegedly raping a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student, could flee, the Delhi High Court (HC) on Tuesday denied bail to the accused.

Justice Vinod Goel dismissed the bail application of Sulaiman Ahmadi, who has been living in India as a refugee from the last 10 years. The court held that the accusation against him was serious in nature and there was an apprehension that he may tamper with or win over vital witnesses.

The court said there was no ground in favour of the man to grant him bail as the material witnesses, including those who were at the spot and to whom the woman had narrated the episode soon after the incident, were yet to be examined.

The bail plea was opposed by the prosecutor, who said since the accused was an Afghan national, there were chances of his fleeing from justice if bail was granted. He added that witnesses were yet to be examined and one of them had seen the accused entering into the bedroom where the woman was sleeping alone.

According to the prosecution, Ahmadi and his friend Tawab Ahmad alias Saleem, also an Afghan national, had allegedly raped a 21-year-old JNU student in south Delhi's Green Park area in January this year.

Appearing for the accused, his counsel said that forensic samples of the body fluids found on the woman's clothes failed to match with that of the accused, and so he should be granted bail.