Bangalore Court allows sodomy charge against French consular official Pascal Mazurier

A Bangalore court has allowed an application filed by Suja Jones Mazurier to charge her husband, French consular official Pascal Mazurier, for committing unnatural offences on his minor daughter.

"The offence of sodomy has been included as an additional charge against Pascal and the court will frame charges against him on March 15 on this count too," BT Venkatesh, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP), said.

Pascal was present in the court yesterday when the fresh charge was allowed.  Suja had filed the application on February 15, pressing for charging him for committing unnatural offences. The SPP had sought charging of Pascal, Consular Attache to Consulate General of France, under Sec 377 of IPC (unnatural offences) to show the three-and-a-half-year-old girl was sodomised too.

Judge of the Special Court for Child's Rights Shubha Goudar had on February 11 framed charges against Pascal for allegedly raping his daughter. The charge was framed under IPC section 376 (punishment for rape). Goudar had directed Pascal to file objections to the application filed by his wife and posted the matter to February 24.

The Court had on January 7 refused to discharge Pascal, with the Judge ruling there was sufficient evidence for him to face trial. The French official had filed an application seeking discharge from the case contending there was no necessity of a trial since the investigation so far had not proved his involvement in the offence.

Pascal was arrested on June 19, 2012 for allegedly raping his daughter, based on a complaint filed by his wife, a Keralite.