The Meghalaya High Court has granted conditional bail to State BJP vice president Bernard N Marak who was arrested in connection with charges filed against him by Tura police.
The High Court has found no evidence that Rimpu Bagan, owned by Marak was used as a brothel or any evidence that a minor was raped at the resort.
The single bench of Justice Wanlura Diengdoh ordered the release of Marak with personal bond of Rs 50,000 along with sureties of the same amount. He was also directed not to abscond or tamper with the evidence, not to move out of the country and to cooperate with the investigation as and when required.
The court also stated that there is “insufficient evidence” to link Marak to the alleged offence since “there is no initial evidence” that the place of occurrence has been used as a brothel, nor there is any evidence to prove that prostitution was carried on in the placed of occurrence.
Further the court also stated, “The allegations that a minor girl was found to be sexually assaulted at the time of the raid is not well founded as not specific evidence linking the accused person (Bernard) to the case has been made out from the case diary.”
“The submission of the learned AAG as far as the order of the learned Sessions Judge is concerned, cannot be considered by this Court simply on the ground that the said order is not under challenged or under consideration in these proceedings and if aggrieved, the party has the liberty of approaching an appropriate forum for redressal.”
It may be mentioned that Marak, who was arrested in connection with Tura Women PS Case No. 105(07) 2022 under Section 3/4/5/6/7 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, read with Section 370(3) IPC on the basis of an FIR lodged by SI F. S. Sangma of Chandmari Beat House before the Officer-in charge Tura Women Police Station, West Garo Hills District.
