The Ojha had abused his position to commit sexual assault against the minor girl, leading the court to deny his bail request. Recently, the Allahabad High Court refused bail to an Ojha (healer/exorcist) facing charges of sexually exploiting a fifteen-year-old girl while pretending to be part of a religious ceremony.
As noted by Judge Sameer Jain:
“Considering the fact that the applicant is an ‘Ojha’ and that he committed rape on the victim under the guise of providing religious treatment, when she was about 15 years old and alone with him in a room, in my opinion, the applicant is not entitled to be granted bail.”
According to the prosecution, the victim’s father, who served as the informant, had approached Hanuman Ram, an Ojha, to seek treatment for his daughter due to her deteriorating condition. However, during one of his rituals, it is alleged that the Ojha sexually assaulted the young girl.
The Ojha faced charges of rape, and his legal team sought bail from the High Court. The defendant’s lawyer argued that the allegations against him were baseless and rooted in a dispute over a loan that the informant had taken from him.
The State contended that the applicant had sexually abused the victim by exploiting his position. After reviewing the evidence, the Court rejected the Ojha’s bail application, stating that he had misused his authority to commit sexual assault against the minor girl.
