Delhi HC denies bail to astrologer accused of inappropriately touching, stabbing woman

On Saturday, the Delhi High Court (HC) dismissed the bail application of an astrologer, who was accused of allegedly touching a woman inappropriately and attacking her with a knife. While rejecting the bail plea of astrologer Arun Kumar alias Suraj Shastri, Justice Yogesh Khanna said that the cross-examination of the women is yet to be conducted. Remarking that no ground for bail can be made at this stage, Yogesh Khanna said, "this petition stands dismissed."

The Delhi HC judge said that the allegations against Arun Kumar were that, being an astrologer, he has cheated the complaint about a sum of Rs 1.50 lakhs from the prosecutrix to improve her mother's health to solve her personal problem. Delhi Police has alleged that Arun Kumar had harassed the prosecutrix for about a year and a half and last on May 4, 2018, wherein, he took her to a hotel where he (astrologer) said that he will perform puja for about three and a half hours. 

"The astrologer kept chanting mantras for about two hours approximately and then he gave a break and asked the prosecutrix to sit on the bed. Thereafter, the astrologer started touching the prosecutrix inappropriately and even attacked on her neck with a knife," the prosecution alleged.

While stating that the astrologer stabbed her many times with a knife, she said she somehow managed to escape from the room. After looking at the woman's condition, the hotel staff took her to a separate room and called the police. The prosecution has said that the astrologer was probably trying to perform a human sacrifice during the said incident. The prosecutrix had suffered a total of seven injuries, including three on her neck.

Image Credit: ANI-Representative