Photo Source: Babushahi Network
PTC MD Rabindra Narayan granted bail & 4 others given anticipatory bail
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, May 23, 2022: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted bail to PTC Network MD Rabindra Narayan in the alleged ‘Miss PTC Punjabi’ illegal detention and sexual harassment case.
Four other accused including Nancy Ghuman, Lakshman Kumar, Bhupinderjit Singh, and Niharika Shama have been given anticipatory bail by the High Court.
The court has asked PTC MD to furnish bail bonds to the satisfaction of the learned Illaqa Magistrate/Duty Magistrate.
Similarly, other accused have been granted anticipatory bail on the condition that they join the investigation, and make themselves available for interrogation as and when required.
Rabindra Narayan has moved HC seeking regular bail while other accused including Nancy Ghuman, Lakshman Kumar, Bhupinderjit Singh, and Niharika Shama had filed a petition for the anticipatory bail.
"There is a categoric and specific version in the FIR that the complainant was confined and forcibly locked in a room and was not allowed to go out. However, the screenshots of CCTV footage indicate that the complainant was never put to any such restraint and was moving freely. Even outside the premises, she has been depicted to be talking to a person in an advocate dress and accompanied with another person. The complainant was carrying the mobile phone throughout with her. Even the report of warrant officer does not indicate that the complainant was kept in a room which was either locked or bolted. It will be a debatable point as to whether any pressure was exerted upon the complainant to restrain her movements at the instance of the organizers of the event," the court of Justice Vivek Puri noted.
"Rabindra Narayan, Nancy Ghuman and Bhupinderjeet Singh have not been depicted in the CCTV footage. Nancy Ghuman and Bhupinderjeet Singh are stated to be in no manner concerned with PTC channel and organizing the event. Even a letter in this regard has been written by the PTC channel to the Senior Superintendent of Police, SAS Nagar. So far no recovery of any objectionable photograph, video or drug has been recovered. The offence pertaining to the sex racket, prostitution trade, drug and information technology have not been added in the FIR," if further added.
It is to be noted that last month, a local court has denied bail to PTC MD.
On April 6, the Punjab Police arrested Narayan based on the complaint of a contestant who alleged that she was harassed and illegally detained in a room during the ongoing preparation of' Miss PTC Punjabi’ reality show
The Mohali police had registered the case under Sections 341, 342, 343, 354, 354-A, 354-B, 354-C, 328, 420 and 120-B of the IPC against Nancy Ghuman, Niharika Jain, Rabindra Narayan, Bhupinder Singh, Lakshman and 25 others.
The police had also constituted a special investigating team led by Manvir Singh Bajwa, DSP Headquarters.
The next date of hearing is July 11.