The Delhi High Court revoked the anticipatory bail of a 51-year-old lawyer accused of repeatedly raping a junior advocate and trying to influence her via two judicial officers. Justice Amit Mahajan also ordered an administrative inquiry against the involved judges.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has cancelled the anticipatory bail granted to a 51-year-old advocate accused of repeatedly raping and assaulting a 27-year-old woman lawyer.
The Court also ordered an administrative inquiry against two judicial officers who allegedly tried to pressure the survivor into softening her case at the request of the accused.
Justice Amit Mahajan, while passing the order, said that an inquiry must be conducted against the judicial officers involved.
The Court stated,
“An administrative enquiry into the conduct of the concerned judicial officers, who were in contact with the prosecutrix, is also warranted, and it is directed that appropriate action in accordance with law be taken in this regard.”
This case gained attention after the Delhi High Court took an administrative decision to suspend one of the judicial officers, Sanjeev Kumar Singh, and start a disciplinary probe against him and another district court judge for their alleged role in influencing the survivor.
Justice Amit Mahajan observed that the accused had tried to misuse his position and influence the investigation process.
The Court said the lawyer had
“made an egregious affront to the principles of justice”
by trying to interfere in the legal process and influence the woman through judicial officers.
The Court further noted,
“There is a grave possibility of Respondent No.2 further attempting to influence witnesses or tampering with evidence if he is allowed to go scot free. Thus, appropriate order is required to be passed so as to deter such conduct. Considering the aforesaid discussion, this Court is of the opinion that the present is a fit case to set aside the impugned order and cancel the pre-arrest bail granted to Respondent No.2.”
According to the FIR filed by the complainant in June 2025 at Neb Sarai Police Station, the 51-year-old advocate, who is a widower, allegedly raped and assaulted her several times over the past five years under the pretext of marriage.
The complainant also said she became pregnant earlier this year, and the accused took her to a hospital for an abortion. Later, he allegedly assaulted her again at a country club in South Delhi, where parts of the incident were captured on CCTV.
In July, the Saket Sessions Court had granted anticipatory bail to the accused. However, the complainant approached the High Court seeking cancellation of the bail, claiming that the accused continued to threaten her and tried to influence her through WhatsApp messages and phone calls.
During the High Court hearings, the judges listened to several audio recordings that suggested the accused’s attempt to bribe the complainant with money. The recordings indicated that around ₹30 lakh was offered to the woman to withdraw her complaint.
Justice Mahajan noted in his order that one of the judicial officers had even talked about giving a job and a monetary settlement to the complainant if she agreed to drop the case.
This showed that the accused had gone to great lengths to tamper with the case and misuse his influence.
The Court said that although the trial court was not wrong in granting bail initially, the accused’s later conduct was completely unacceptable and showed disrespect for the justice system. Justice Mahajan remarked that the accused’s actions had “shocked the conscience of the court.”
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He added,
“Liberty of bail ought to be withdrawn when attempts are made to subvert the trial or sway witnesses.”
Based on the evidence and the seriousness of the conduct, the High Court cancelled the anticipatory bail and directed the accused to surrender within one week.
The complainant was represented by advocates Jitendra Kumar Jha and Bhagwan Jha.
The accused lawyer was represented by Senior Advocates Vikas Pahwa and Madhav Khurana, along with advocates Aarushi Singh, Natasha Garg, Riya Parihar, Anubhav Dubey, Jasmeet S Chadha, Thakur Ankit Singh, and Somya Dhawan. The State was represented by Additional Public Prosecutor Sunil Kumar Gautam.
Case Title:
PJ v State Govt of NCT of Delhi and Anr.
Read Judgement:
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