Rajkot: A 35-year-old man from Upleta in Rajkot district was arrested for repeated rape — based on a complaint filed by his ex-girlfriend after his wedding to another woman got fixed — secured interim bail to get married, and days later had to go back to jail after being denied regular bail.Kishansinh Solanki, 35, was booked for rape under Section 64(2)(m) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) (repeated rape) and for offences under the Atrocities Act at Upleta police station on Jan 29 and arrested, as his 34-year-old former lover is from a scheduled caste.The complainant stated she had been in a 12-year relationship with Solanki, and he had promised to marry her. Solanki allegedly ended the relationship to marry a woman from his own caste.With his wedding set for Feb 3, Solanki applied for interim bail. His plea, heard by the additional sessions judge of Gondal (holding charge of the Dhoraji sessions court), included a wedding invitation (kankotri) to show the wedding was planned before the case was registered.The court also heard the complainant through video conference. She opposed his bail plea, saying the relationship was built on the promise of marriage, which led her to forgo other matches.On Jan 31, the court granted Solanki interim bail without delving into the merits of the case. He was released from Jan 31 until Feb 4, under police escort, to go to his own wedding.After the wedding, Solanki surrendered in accord with the court order and then sought regular bail.His defence submitted that the relationship, which began in 2014, was consensual. They cited the victim’s age, a “break-up letter” she had written, and chat records to show mutual consent.However, additional public prosecutor K M Parekh opposed the plea. Parekh placed on record a letter in which Solanki promised to marry the complainant, along with photographs of the couple posing as husband and wife. He argued that the accused kept the relationship going by misleading the woman, thus her consent could not be seen as “legal consent”. Speaking to TOI, Parekh said, “The court prima facie considered it an offence. The court also considered our argument that even if this was not a case of rape, the act of sexual intercourse through deceitful means, including false promises of marriage, under Section 69 of the BNS, carries a provision for 10 years of imprisonment.” Additional sessions judge A M Sheikh of Dhoraji consequently rejected Solanki’s regular bail plea on Friday and sent him back to jail.
