Mumbai: The Dindoshi Sessions Court has granted anticipatory bail to 26-year-old Anmol Garg, an alumnus of IIT Powai, who was booked by Amboli Police for allegedly outraging the modesty of a woman at a nightclub in Andheri. The court held that custodial interrogation was not necessary, as the case primarily relies on CCTV footage.
“From the police’s statement, it appears that the applicant was identified based on CCTV footage. The record further reveals that nothing is required to be seized from the applicant. In my opinion, custodial interrogation is not necessary, as the case is based on CCTV footage. The prosecution also stated that the investigation is almost complete. Considering all these aspects, I believe that custodial interrogation is not warranted. If certain conditions are imposed and the applicant is directed to cooperate with the investigation, that would suffice. Prima facie, a case is made out for granting pre-arrest protection,” the court stated in its order.
Garg was represented by advocates Anirudh H. Yadav and Tushar Lahange before the Dindoshi Sessions Court.
According to the FIR filed by the complainant on June 16, the incident occurred on the night of May 15 at the Bulldog Club in Andheri. The complainant and her colleague were at the club when, around 11:00 p.m., the colleague left. At around 12:30 a.m., as the complainant was returning from the washroom, an unknown man allegedly touched her inappropriately and made remarks that outraged her modesty.
A confrontation ensued between the complainant and the accused, who was accompanied by one man and one woman. The complainant is said to have assaulted the accused with her fists. The club’s owner and manager intervened to break up the altercation. Based on the victim’s complaint, a case was later registered by the Amboli police.
In the bail application, Garg’s counsel argued that he had been falsely implicated in the case. “There is an inordinate delay in filing the FIR. In fact, it was the informant who assaulted the applicant, and fearing that the applicant might file a complaint, she lodged a false counter-complaint,” the bail application stated. It also emphasized that Garg is an IIT graduate with no criminal record.
The court granted anticipatory bail to Garg with conditions, including full cooperation with the ongoing investigation.
