Judicial custody of suspended Khakha, wife extended

New Delhi: A court here on Wednesday extended by 14 days the judicial custody of suspended Delhi government officer Premoday Khakha, who allegedly raped a minor girl several times and impregnated her. The judicial custody of his wife Seema Rani, who is accused of giving the girl abortion pills to terminate her pregnancy, was also extended by 14 days. Both were produced before Additional Sessions Judge (POCSO) Richa Parihar. Umashankar Gautam, the counsel for the accused, said the court has sought a report on the medical board’s findings about the vasectomy procedure Khakha has claimed to have undergone, before his judicial custody ends on September 6.

The advocate claimed as Khakha had undergone vasectomy in November 2005, he couldn’t have impregnated the girl. “The medical board has been formed to find whether any lacuna occurred during the vasectomy surgery. Its report will be submitted before the court,” he said. He said the court has directed Delhi Police to “accelerate” the investigation and file the charge sheet timely.

“Police did not file any application seeking police custody of the accused persons,” he said. Khakha had allegedly raped the girl several times between November 2020 and January 2021. She was staying at the residence of the accused, a family friend, after her father died on October 1, 2020, according to police. The couple was arrested on Monday after the victim recorded her statement before a magistrate at a hospital.

On Tuesday, a duty metropolitan magistrate had sent the couple to one-day judicial custody. Police have registered a case against the couple under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 376(2)(f) (being a relative, guardian or teacher of, or a person in a position of trust or authority towards the woman, commits rape on such woman), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to outrage the modesty of a woman). Other penal provisions invoked in the case include voluntarily causing hurt, causing miscarriage without a woman’s consent and criminal conspiracy.