Thaindian News

Mumbai, Apr.27 (ANI): Bollywood actor Shiny Ahuja was on Wednesday granted bail by the Bombay High Court in connection with a rape case, and is likely to be released from the Arthur Road Jail here this evening.

While granting bail, the high court asked the actor to pay a bail bond of Rs.50, 000. The court also said that he would not be allowed to go out of the country and that his passport would be impounded until further notice.

It maybe recalled that Ahuja was sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment for raping his domestic maid.

He had approached the Bombay High Court six days ago and challenged his conviction by a lower court.

The actor’s appeal was admitted and Justice A R Joshi posted his plea for bail for hearing on April 27.

Shiney, in his appeal, has stated that the lower court had erred in law while convicting him and that he has been falsely implicated in the case.

On March 30, relying on circumstantial evidence, a fast track court had convicted Shiney, although the victim had turned hostile during the trial.

However, Ahuja was acquitted of the charges of criminal intimidation and wrongful confinement.

The court had said it had considered circumstantial evidence - the DNA report was positive, the hymen was torn, there were blood marks on victim’s clothes, semen was found on quilt and curtains and Shiney’s hand bore scratch marks of the victim - while convicting the accused.

The court also noted that the 2009 incident had occurred at Shiney’s house here. It also accepted the victim’s statement before a magistrate alleging she was raped.

In September last year, the maid had backtracked from her allegations that Shiney had raped her at his residence in Mumbai and said the incident had never occurred.

The 20-year-old girl told the court that she had filed the complaint against the actor at the behest of the woman who had secured her the job at his residence.

In June 2009, the girl had lodged a police complaint alleging the actor raped her. Shiney was arrested on June 14 and released on bail three months later.

On September 3 last year, the victim had identified Shiney in the court and said she used to work at his residence as a domestic help. But when asked about the incident, she said she was never raped.

Following this, the court had declared her hostile. The police, in a 109-page charge sheet, had charged Shiney with rape and wrongfully confining the victim.(ANI)