The Bombay High Court has released a man on bail who spent over two years in custody facing charges of rape and fraud. The accused, Santosh Dattaray Pawar, allegedly exploited a married woman by promising her employment in the Public Works Department (PWD) and marriage, despite being married himself.

Justice Anil Kilor granted bail primarily based on evidence suggesting consensual relations between the parties and the substantial time already served by the accused. The case involved allegations of extortion amounting to Rs 8.64 lakhs, which the accused allegedly obtained under the pretext of securing a government job for the complainant.

The relationship began through Facebook, eventually leading to alleged sexual exploitation and blackmail. The accused reportedly recorded intimate videos and used them to extort gold ornaments from the victim. When no job materialized and the complainant demanded her money back, the situation escalated into criminal proceedings.

While prosecutors SM Mangaonkar and Vinit Jain opposed bail citing four similar cases against Pawar, defense counsel Yash Naik highlighted his client's acquittal in two previous cases - one due to lack of evidence and another acknowledging consensual relations. Although the Sessions court had initially denied bail citing the risk of repeated offenses, the High Court's decision emphasized the consensual nature of the relationship evident in the chargesheet.