Chamba court extends Churah MLA’s interim anticipatory bail

The Chamba District and Sessions Court on Saturday extended the interim anticipatory bail of BJP’s Churah MLA Hans Raj till November 27 in a case involving allegations of sexual exploitation levelled by a woman. The court directed him to continue cooperating with the investigation.

The court had granted the MLA interim anticipatory bail on November 10, directing him to join the investigation and not to contact the victim or her family.

The case surfaced earlier this month when a woman filed a complaint at the Women’s Police Station, Chamba, accusing the legislator of sexually assaulting her when she was a minor. She alleged that Hans Raj had been sexually exploiting her ever since. Following the complaint, the MLA was booked under Section 69 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which deals with aggravated sexual assault on minors.

The woman had also alleged that she was called by the MLA in a hotel in Chandigarh in February last year where he made physical relations with her on the pretext marriage.

Another BJP MLA under police scanner

Meanwhile, another BJP legislator from Mandi and a close associate of Hans Raj has come under the police scanner as the hotel room where the alleged incident took place was booked in his name.

The said MLA was questioned by the investigation team on Friday for four hours. Police sources said the said MLA was present in Chandigarh on the same day as the alleged incident. Reportedly, his phone location was also placed him in the city at the time. Investigators have found that he had booked a separate room for himself while one room was used by the Churah MLA.