Court denies bail before arrest of 75-year-old Kochi man accused of raping Odisha native

A court in Kerala said such bail would shake the consciousness of society. K Sivaprasad, a resident of Kochi’s Vytila, had applied for bail at the Ernakulam Division Sessions Court on October 30, almost two weeks after a sexual assault case was filed against him. The survivor – a tribal woman who had started working as a domestic worker at his home on October 4 – was allegedly drugged and raped by Sivaprasad at noon on October 15, when no one else was at home.

Maradu police have charged Sivaprasad under sections 64(1) (rape), 74 (criminal force or assault on women) and 123 (administration of poisonous or noxious substance) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). His counsel Mohammed Siyad MF denied the charges against Sivaprasad, claiming that the suspect is a 75-year-old retired government official who takes medications that have side effects such as “decreased libido and erection problems”.

The family had hired the woman on the recommendation of Amit, another migrant worker from Odisha who used to work for them as a cleaner. The petition alleges that the woman’s accusation was an act of revenge for denying her an advance of three months’ salary to visit her sister in her hometown.

Public prosecutor Sajeev CK, who sought dismissal of the bail plea, pointed out that the survivor is a 23-year-old migrant worker who was brutally attacked after being given a psychotropic substance. Advocate Sandhya Raju, appearing on behalf of the survivor, also reiterated the claims.