Bengal and Delhi Capitals wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel was denied bail on Friday and sent to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with a case in which a medical student has accused him of having sexual relations with her on the promise of marriage. Porel was produced before a court in Chinsurah after the expiry of the three-day police remand granted following his arrest earlier this week. His bail plea was rejected, with the court remanding the 23-year-old cricketer to judicial custody as the investigation into the allegations continues.
The latest order comes days after Porel was arrested by Mogra Police following a direction from the Calcutta High Court. He had initially been produced before the Chinsurah court on Tuesday, when police sought his custody for questioning, and the court granted a three-day remand.
“There was a case lodged against him and a court order to arrest him. He was arrested late last night. He will be produced in court today,” Hooghly (Rural) Superintendent of Police Kunar Bhushan Singh told PTI following Porel’s arrest.
What is the case against Abishek Porel?
The case stems from a complaint lodged at Mogra Police Station in Hooghly on June 23 by a medical student from Karnataka. According to the complaint, the woman alleged that she and Porel had been in a relationship for around three-and-a-half years and that he had established a physical relationship with her after promising to marry her. The complainant has also levelled allegations of physical and mental abuse, threats and misuse of private photographs and videos. The allegations have not been proved in court, and Porel has denied wrongdoing.
The matter subsequently reached the Calcutta High Court after the woman approached the court raising concerns over the progress of the police investigation. The High Court directed police to apprehend Porel and another accused and also ordered the seizure of electronic devices, including mobile phones and laptops, amid concerns over the alleged circulation of private material concerning the complainant.
Police later arrested Porel after attempts to trace him. A case has been registered under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 69, as well as provisions of the Information Technology Act, according to reports.
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Separately, the Calcutta High Court this week deferred further hearing of the woman’s petition until September 14 after the West Bengal government sought more time to proceed with the investigation following Porel’s arrest. Another accused in the case, reportedly a friend of the cricketer, was yet to be apprehended at the time of that hearing.
Porel, a left-handed wicketkeeper-batter, represents Bengal in domestic cricket and has been a regular member of Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League. He has also represented India A.