Mumbai POCSO Court Grants 4-Day Bail to 18-Year-Old Rape Accused to Appear for NEET-UG Re-Test

Key Points:

ON THURSDAY, June 18, 2026, a special POCSO court in Mumbai granted four days of bail to a teenager accused in a rape case. The 18-year-old boy was allowed this bail so that he could appear for the NEET-UG re-test scheduled for June 21, 2026. The accused is currently lodged in Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai and was granted relief from June 18 to June 21, 2026. The court has directed the accused to surrender before the authorities by 2 pm on June 22, 2026, a day after the examination.

The case was heard by Special Judge S.R. Sharma, who granted the accused bail after the rape survivor said that she had no objection to it. The survivor also said that she had no objection to the plea, provided the accused did not defame or threaten her family while out on bail. The court released him on a bond of ₹50,000 with a surety of an equal amount.

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The Advocates in the NEET Retest Bail Case

The teenager was booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The advocate for the accused, Kapil Vishwas Zodge, argued that the criminal justice system aims to facilitate the rehabilitation of offenders and incarcerated individuals. He also said that the young man accused in the case deserved an opportunity to appear for the examination and secure his academic future.

The advocate also contended that the accused needed time to prepare for the examination and that appearing for the test under police supervision could affect his mental state. Zodge told the court that the young man should be allowed to take the examination under normal circumstances rather than under custodial supervision.

The prosecution had a different view. Special Public Prosecutor Chaitrali Panshikar opposed the plea, saying that the nature of the case filed against the accused was serious. The prosecution argued that if permission was to be granted, he should only be allowed to appear for the examination under police escort for a single day.

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The Court Conditions for Granting Bail to the Accused

After examining the accused's higher secondary examination certificate and provisional NEET admit card, Special Judge S.R. Sharma found sufficient grounds to grant temporary bail. The court observed that the concerns raised by the prosecution could be adequately addressed by imposing appropriate conditions on the accused.

While granting bail, the court said that there were some strict and serious conditions that the accused must follow. The court directed that the accused, during the period of his bail, would not contact the victim or her family in any manner, try to tamper with evidence in the case, or threaten anyone connected to the case. The court also ordered the accused to submit an undertaking stating that he would appear for the examination and furnish proof of his attendance upon surrendering to custody.

The temporary bail was granted solely to enable the accused to appear for the NEET re-test and would not affect the ongoing proceedings in the case.

[Edited by: Harsh Pandey]

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