HYDERABAD: All five juveniles, accused in the sensational Jubilee Hills gang rape case, have been granted bail while the bail plea of key accused Saduddin Malik was rejected by the Telangana High Court.Four of the five minors were granted conditional bail and released from the juvenile home on Tuesday on provision of a Rs 5,000 surety each, while the fifth juvenile, who is the son of a legislator, was granted conditional bail by the High Court on Wednesday.
While granting the bail, the court ordered the accused to cooperate with the police and also report to the District Probation Officer (DPO) every weekend.Saduddin Malik, the only major accused in the case, moved the High Court but his bail plea was rejected for the second time. The six accused allegedly took the 17-year-old victim from a pub in Jubilee Hills and gang raped her on May 28. But the Jubilee Hills police registered a case only on May 31 after counselling the 17-year-old victim.
Saduddin Malik was arrested on June 3 and the five juveniles were taken into custody between June 4 and 7. While Malik was lodged at Chanchalguda Jail, the five minors were sent to the Juvenile Welfare and Correctional Centre in Saidabad.Reacting to the court granting bail to the accused, senior counsel Ravi Chander said: “Bail is one’s fundamental right. They are currently accused but not guilty. The court is required to see what the prosecution has against the person being set conditionally free. It is not the job of the court to prove whether the person has committed the crime or not.”
“In this case, the accused is not yet guilty and the accused cannot be kept in jail. If the charges are serious, then it is the duty of the prosecution to argue before the court, considering the application for bail and state his grounds to hold back their release. The only factor that the conditional bail should consider is does the release of accused on bail affect the investigation process or if the person is likely to run away,” the senior counsel added.
Another counsel Kranti Kiran said: “The five minors were released as the investigation is over and police are ready to file a charge-sheet. There is no point in keeping the accused in custody.”D Suresh Kumar, a member of Civil Liberties Committee, opines it is the responsibility of activists to speak for the victim and seek firm action.
“There are numerous possibilities that the accused or anyone connected with the case can eliminate the details of the case. This is where the fast-track courts function effectively promising justice to the victims.The fast-track courts taking up such grave cases will ensure that the families of victims receive instant justice,” Suresh Kumar said.“Law has its own way of delivering justice during such hard times,” he added.