Team Herald
PONDA: The Session Court in Ponda heard arguments on the two anticipatory bail applications filed by Manguesh Priest Dhanajay Bhave (51) and adjourned the case for order on August 4.
In an argument lasting more than one and half hour, Public Prosecutor Satyawan Raut Desai opposed to the bail application of Bhave stating that two victims have fallen prey to molestation. “He is an influential person and that police want him for custodial investigation,” he argued.
He argued that the temple is a sacred place where such crimes should not happen. “His arrest is necessary as he can tamper with the evidence. The victims’ as well as statement of witnesses are yet to be recorded. There is no conspiracy by two victim girl as argued by defence lawyer against his client. The two were molested on two separate dates. Being students and devotees why they will conspire against priest? There is sufficient evidence of a CCTV-footage and one victim girl even approached the police for filing case,” Desai argued.
In his argument, Bhave’s advocate Shahikant Desai rejected the allegations of molestations. He argued that there was conspiracy against his client by victim girl.
“The alleged molestation would have been definitely recorded in CCTV cameras if it had happened outside inner sanctum near locker, as the camera is focused on that spot,” he reasoned and challenged the prosecution to provide CCTV footage by Police
He said that police had not conducted preliminary investigation in the both the molestation cases which is essential part of inquiry and simply immediately registered an FIR based on complaints.
“Only mahajans are allowed into the inner sanctorum and the alleged victim girls are not even mahajans of the temple. What prevented the alleged victims to file complaints on the day of molestation and why they approached national media instead of approaching the police first? My client touched one of the alleged victim affectionately on her shoulder and he had no intention of molestation. Further, there were no immediate reactions by the alleged victim, who visited house of my client after performing abishek ritual in the temple. The police cases have been filed after a month of the alleged incident,” he argued.
