AFP/Mumbai
A Mumbai court yesterday granted bail to Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja who is appealing against a conviction for raping his maid.
The Bombay High Court ordered the release of Ahuja, star of several films including Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (A Thousand Desires), Gangster and Life in a Metro, who was sentenced to seven years in jail last month.
He was told to pay a bond of Rs50,000 ($1,100) and not to leave the country without permission.
Ahuja, 37, had denied the offence, which allegedly took place at his home in the city in June 2009. His legal team called the judgment “perverse and illegal,” questioning the strength of the victim’s evidence and medical tests.
The trial judge ruled that scratch marks and DNA results were sufficient proof.
The victim withdrew her complaint of rape in September, claiming she was told to make a complaint by another woman who had initially got her the job with the star.
“Apart from the girl denying the alleged offence, even the medical evidence is in negative,” the appeal document said.
“Evidence given by doctors, who examined (Ahuja) and the victim, stated that there are no injuries on the girl’s body. Even the semen and blood samples were negative of (Ahuja)’s DNA.”