A court refuses to grant bail to a 75-year-old man from Kochi accused of raping an Odisha resident

While denying anticipatory bail to a 75-year-old Kochi man accused of raping a 23-year-old migrant worker from Odisha, a Kerala court said such anticipatory bail would shock the public consciousness. K. Sivaprasad, a resident of Vytila ​​of Kochi, had filed his anticipatory bail application in the Ernakulam Divisional Court on October 30, almost two weeks after a sexual assault case was filed against him. The survivor – a tribal woman who started working as a domestic help in his house on October 4 – was allegedly drugged and raped by Sivaprasad at noon on October 15, when no one else was at home.

Maradu police have charged Sivaprasad under sections 64(1) (rape), 74 (criminal force or assault on women) and 123 (administration of poisonous or noxious substances) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Refuting the allegations against Sivaprasad, his defense lawyer Mohammed Siyad MF maintained that the accused is a 75-year-old retired government employee who takes drugs that cause side effects such as “reduced libido and erection problems.”

The family hired this woman on the advice of Amit, another migrant worker from Odisha who worked for them as a cleaner. The petition claims that the woman’s accusation was an act of revenge for her refusal to pay an advance of three months’ salary to cover the expenses of her sister’s visit to her native place.

Prosecutor Sajeev CK, requesting the dismissal of the bail application, pointed out that the survivor was a 23-year-old migrant worker who was brutally attacked after being administered a psychotropic substance. Advocate Sandhya Raju, appearing for the survivor, also stood by her claims.