Thane Court Denies Bail to Accused of Serial Sexual Assault on Minor During Holi

In a shocking case of sexual  abuse, the Thane Court has denied bail to Santosh Kedarnath Gupta, a 40-year-old married man accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl over several months. Gupta, who allegedly lured the victim using threats and blackmail involving obscene videos, faces charges of kidnapping, sexual assault, and multiple offenses under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The case dates back to March 2023 when Gupta reportedly met the victim during a Holi festival. According to the prosecution, he obtained the girl's phone number and subsequently lured her to various locations, including his house, Gorai beach, and even Karwar in Karnataka, where he allegedly committed multiple acts of sexual assault. A case was filed at the Navghar police station under Sec. 363, 366, 354, 376, 376(2)(n), 506 of IPC  along with Sec.4,8,12 of POCSO Act.

 The police report states that though the accused is married, he has taken obscene photographs and video recording of the victim girl and under the threat of making it viral, repeatedly did penetrative sexual assault on her.

Accused Gupta approached the court for bail, asserting his innocence and claiming that he was falsely implicated in the case. He argued that the investigation had been completed and a charge-sheet filed against him. Gupta highlighted that he has no prior criminal record and expressed his willingness to abide by any terms and conditions set by the court, requesting to be released on bail.

 D.S. Deshmukh, Spl. Judge ( POCSO),Thane cited the severity of the charges as a key reason for denying bail. "If the applicant is released on bail, there is possibility that he will again approach to the victim and will pressurize or threaten her. In such circumstances, though the charge-sheet is filed, considering the nature of offence, this is not a fit case, to release the applicant on bail," the judge stated in his order.