Makes hasty exit from Arthur Road jail in his Mercedes with wife and friend, after a few quick words to the media professing his innocence.
Actor Shiney Ahuja was finally out of jail on Saturday.
Clad in a green T-shirt and jeans, he spoke to mediapersons briefly before speeding away in his Mercedes Benz with wife Anupam and friend, filmmaker Ashok Pandit. “I am innocent. I have faith in the judiciary,” he murmured, before making a hasty exit. More than three months after being arrested for allegedly raping his maid at his Oshiwara residence, Ahuja, 36, was released from Arthur Road jail on bail on a surety of Rs50,000.
Despite the bail, Ahuja looked worn out and low. The actor had recently collapsed in court, complaining of a severe backache and was removed for treatment to JJ Hospital. Shiney will now have to relinquish his passport with the Oshiwara police, and take either a late night or an early morning flight to Delhi, Ahuja’s lawyer, Shrikant Shivde, said.
Ahuja has been directed by the Bombay High Court to stay in Delhi till the trial begins to prevent him from influencing or putting pressure on the witnesses in the case, or tampering with evidence. Ahuja has to report to the nearest police station in the area in Delhi where he will stay.
A lower court had rejected Ahuja’s bail application twice before. His lawyers cited bail granted in the Abhishek Kasliwal case as precedent to secure bail for Shiney. The trial is expected to start as soon as the case is transferred to the fast track court.
The case
The domestic help, in her complaint to the police, stated that on June 14, Ahuja called her to his room on the pretext of asking for a glass of water. When she went inside, he locked the door and raped her. According to the Oshiwara police, there is a strong case against Shiney since the maid filed a complaint as soon as possible, and a medical examination could be conducted without delay.
The police filed a 109-page chargesheet against Ahuja in August stacked with foolproof evidence against the actor — including a DNA report, forensic reports and testimony from as many as seven witnesses including (according to the chargesheet), the cook, another domestic help in the Ahuja household, the victim’s aunt and the actor’s neighbour who helped the victim lodge a police complaint.
The chargesheet included forensic reports from the Kalina Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), and medical reports which confirmed “forced vaginal intercourse”. Ahuja was charged with rape, wrongful confinement and threatening the maid.
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