Overview
- The Supreme Court bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan set aside an April 2025 Allahabad High Court bail order in the Shamli gang-rape case, terming it manifestly perverse.
- The court highlighted the risk of witness influence, the Child Welfare Committee’s note of the victim’s fear, and allegations of armed intimidation with blackmail recordings.
- The accused was ordered to surrender within two weeks, and the trial court was directed to conclude proceedings expeditiously.
- In a separate case, the Madhya Pradesh High Court overturned a POCSO conviction after an X-ray on record indicated the complainant was over 18.
- The division bench found the relationship was between consenting adults and issued show-cause notices to the Special Judge and the Public Prosecutor for failing to consider material age evidence.