HC turns down anticipatory bail plea of Naval official

Criticising police for `protecting` higher officials in the Navy, the Kerala High Court on Monday declined to grant anticipatory bail to Lt Ravi Kiran, whose wife had filed a police complaint levelling charges of wife swapping.

Kochi: Criticising police for `protecting` higher officials in the Navy, the Kerala High Court on Monday declined to grant anticipatory bail to Lt Ravi Kiran, whose wife had filed a police complaint here levelling charges of wife swapping by her husband and his superiors.

Dismissing his anticipatory bail plea, Justice Kemal Pesha said that in a `serious matter` like this involving a serious offence, the petitioner is not entitled for anticipatory bail. Justice Pasha observed that it was a `serious matter` to be dealt with severely by police and a thorough investigation has to be carried out. "It is a pity that police has taken a casual approach and has not cared to register a crime involving offence of gang rape", the judge observed. The court noted that the victim has undergone treatment at the General hospital, Ernakulam and pointed out that even now the matter is being treated as a matrimonial case. It said the petitioner approached the High Court taking shelter of the aid which he is getting from police. It said the case diary reveals that apart from treating the matter as one under Section 354 IPC (outraging the modesty of a woman), police has not cared to go further. Ravi Kiran had moved the high court seeking anticipatory bail after his wife raised `baseless` charges against him following his move to approach a family court for divorce. Navy had already started an internal probe based on the complaint she submitted to the Navy Chief recently. On a complaint from the woman that she had allegedly been tortured for dowry and her husband`s senior colleagues had tried to molest her, police here had registered a case against 10 people, including her husband, under Sect 498 of the IPC. The charges of torture related to dowry issues were against her husband and his close relatives. The Navy has denied the woman`s charges and said her complaint was the result of "a marital discord" and the charges raised by her against superior officers were "unfair." PTI