Supreme Court Grants Interim Bail To 23-Yr Old In Rape Case, Says ‘Single Hand Can’t Clap’
The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to a 23-year-old social media influencer accused in a rape case, observing that he had been incarcerated for over nine months without charges being framed.
The Bench of Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma expressed concern over the delay in the trial and cast doubt on the circumstances surrounding the complaint.
“A single hand can’t clap. She is not a baby. The woman is 40 years old. They travelled together to Jammu. Why invoke Section 376?” Justice Nagarathna remarked.
The Court noted that the petitioner had been in custody since August 7, 2024, and that this was a fit case for granting interim relief pending consideration of the Special Leave Petition (SLP).
“We direct that the petitioner be produced before the concerned Trial Court as early as possible, and the Trial Court shall release him on interim bail subject to such conditions as it may deem appropriate,” the Court ordered.
The Court emphasised that the petitioner must fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation and strictly refrain from contacting the complainant (second respondent).
"Any violation of the conditions would result in cancellation of interim bail and rejection of the SLP," the Bench said.
The Bench took note that counsel for the respondents had sought time to file a counter affidavit and listed the matter for further hearing on August 8, 2025.
Case Title: Harash Kumar v. State Government of NCT Delhi & Anr.
Appearance:-
Petitioner: Senior Advocate Kirtiman Singh, Advocates Vaibhav Sethi, Priya Pathania, C. George Thomas (AOR), Ansh Mittal
Respondent: ASG Archana Pathak Dave, Advocates Ankita Chaudhary Rathi, Harshita Choubey, Jagdish Chandra, Mukesh Kumar Maroria (AOR)