SC refuses to interfere with Delhi HC's anticipatory bail order to journalist Varun Hiremath in rape case

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere with the Delhi High Court's order granting anticipatory bail to TV anchor Varun Hiremath, accused of raping a woman in a 5-star hotel in Delhi's Chanakyapuri.

"We are not inclined to interfere with the Delhi High Court's (May 13) order," the top court's division bench, headed by Justice Navin Sinha and also comprising Justice Ajay Rastogi, said in its order.

On May 2, the victim had moved the SC challenging the Delhi HC order granting pre-arrest bail to the accused journalist in the matter.

"It is a complete disregard of the statute, and granting pre-arrest bail on the benefit of doubt is sad, Nitya Ramakrishnana, senior lawyer appearing for the victim, told the Court today, and demanded that the High Court's order be cancelled.

"It is a penetrative act which constitutes the offence," as committed by the accused in the present case, Nitya submitted to the apex court.

A single judge Bench of the Delhi HC Justice Mukta Gupta had granted anticipatory bail on May 13, to Hiremath after conducting an in-camera hearing as requested by the counsel.

Justice Gupta had disposed of the application but had refused to upload the order on the Court's website due to witness statements being part of it.

Earlier, Hiremath's application for anticipatory bail was rejected by the Patiala House Court, following which a non-bailable warrant (NBW) was issued against him.

According to the FIR, the woman alleged that Hiremath, while visiting Pune had met her on Tinder, a geosocial networking and online dating platform, and had allegedly developed a sexual relationship with her.

Thereafter, on February 19, when Hiremath had come to Delhi, the woman decided to meet him.

A meeting took place between the two of them in Delhi's Khan Market area after which they went to the ITC Maurya hotel.

According to the complaint, it was alleged by the woman that she was raped by Hiremath in the said 5-star hotel.

However, the said allegations have been denied by Hiremath as being "false and frivolous".

( With inputs from ANI )