The 26-year-old woman was raped inside a stationary Shivshahi bus, which belongs to MSRTC, at the Swargate depot in Pune. On Monday, she filed an application in court, asking for protection against the misleading statements being made about her in public and on social media.
Pune: Advocate Asim Sarode, on Tuesday, informed a Pune court that the woman in the Swargate bus rape case had become a victim of false stories spread on social media and other platforms. He requested the court to issue a restraining order to stop the spread of such defamatory content about her.
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Sarode also mentioned that the victim confided in him, saying, “She feels like she is being made an accused in the case.”
The 26-year-old woman was raped inside a stationary Shivshahi bus, which belongs to MSRTC, at the Swargate depot in Pune. On Monday, she filed an application in court, asking for protection against the misleading statements being made about her in public and on social media. These statements were harming her reputation and character.
Sarode filed the application on her behalf before the court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class) T S Gaygole.
According to the police investigation, the accused, Dattatraya Ramdas Gade (37), misled the woman and took her to the wrong bus by gaining her trust. He then raped her inside the bus. Following this, the court sent Gade to police custody till March 12.
However, during the court proceedings on February 28, the accused’s lawyers argued that the crime did not take place and that the physical relation between the accused and the victim was consensual. The accused’s family also told the media that “it was a case of consensual relation.”
Speaking about the case, Sarode said,
“Today I presented to the court paper cuttings, news clippings, and online content that has been detrimental to her (the woman’s) character. I argued that she is the victim who has set the law in motion by coming forward and reporting the crime to the police, thus it becomes imperative that she is protected in every sense.”
He further stated,
“I submitted to the court that she is also a victim of fake narratives. All the defamatory narratives being spread about her have been proven totally wrong in the police probe. The accused and victim were never in contact, and there was no exchange of any kind between them. The victim has told me that she feels like she is being portrayed as an accused in the case. This is very damaging, and she has to be protected against this.”
During the hearing, the court asked Sarode against whom the restraining order should be issued.
In response, Sarode clarified,
“The order is not against a particular person or group but the public in general. The plea is not against the press covering the case but against the fake narratives and character assassination. I also cited the Supreme Court judgment supporting my argument. We have said that the restraining order can be issued for a period of two months and can be renewed if needed. The court is expected to give a ruling on Wednesday.”
Background:
On 28th Feb, In a shocking incident, a 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped inside a bus at Pune’s Swargate Bus Stand while waiting for transport to her hometown in Satara district.
The accused, Dattatray Ramdas Gade, was arrested after an extensive 75-hour manhunt and has now been sent to 12-day police custody by Pune’s Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court.
The police launched a large-scale search operation to nab the accused. A total of 13 police teams were deployed at various locations across Maharashtra. Advanced search techniques, including sniffer dogs and drones, were used to track him down. After nearly 75 hours, the accused was arrested from Shrirur Tehsil.
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Dattatray Ramdas Gade was presented before Pune’s Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court, which has sent him to police custody for 12 days. Authorities are now conducting a detailed investigation into the case.
Police records show that Dattatray Gade has a criminal background. He has been out on bail since 2019 and is accused in multiple cases, including theft, robbery, and chain-snatching incidents in Pune and Ahilyanagar district.
According to police reports, the incident took place on Tuesday around 5:45 AM when the victim was waiting for a bus to Phaltan at one of the platforms. The accused, Dattatraya Ramdas Gade (36), approached her, claiming that the bus to Satara was at another platform.
He tricked her to an empty Shiv Shahi AC bus parked elsewhere, and despite her initial hesitation due to the lack of lights inside, he convinced her to enter. He then followed her inside and assaulted her before fleeing.
Authorities have assured the public that strict action will be taken in the case. Police officials emphasized their commitment to ensuring justice for the victim.
