The Allahabad High Court recently granted bail to Harikishan, who was arrested in June 2023 following an FIR that accused him of engaging in unnatural acts with cows under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.

He filed a second bail plea with the High Court, where his counsel contended that he was innocent and had been falsely implicated in the case.

It was also argued that the FIR was lodged after a two-day delay by the informant in collusion with a supporter, aiming to undermine the current Gram Pradhan and target him indirectly, as the applicant is from the family of the Gram Pradhan. Additionally, it was noted that no witnesses were examined during the first bail hearing, and although four witnesses have since been examined, none corroborated the prosecution's allegations and were instead declared hostile.

It was further argued that neither the name of the person who made the alleged video of the incident nor the mobile number through which the video went viral was disclosed in the FIR or any witness statements. In light of this, it was requested that the accused applicant be granted bail.

On the other hand, the Additional Government Advocate (AGA) representing the state opposed the bail plea, asserting that the applicant had indeed committed unnatural acts with the cows in the cowshed, as evidenced by the video footage.

In this context, Justice Piyush Agrawal observed that the applicant had committed unnatural acts with the cows in the cowshed, as confirmed by both the video footage and the medical report from the Chief Veterinary Officer.

The Court further noted that the applicant's counsel had not presented any new grounds in the current bail application. Consequently, without commenting on the merits of the case, the Court denied bail to the accused applicant.

Counsel for Applicant: Rama Shankar Mishra

Counsel for Opposite Party: GA

Case Title – Harikishan vs. State of U.P 2024