The Delhi High Court on Monday denied interim protection from arrest to a lawyer accused of raping a 27-year-old advocate and subsequently attempting to influence her through two judicial officers. .Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani denied the relief even after he was informed that the two sides had reached a settlement.The Court said that both the accused and the complainant had made a mockery of the judicial system by levelling allegations against each other, then involving judicial officers and then settling the case.“We don't know how deep this matter has gone, and we do not know what the truth is. With every passing phase, it gets more murky. This is my take on the matter…I have seen some video recordings involving judges,” Justice Bhambhani remarked. Therefore, he said that he will not grant any protection from arrest to the accused lawyer. “Nothing recorded in this order would prevent the petitioner from availing his remedies, including filing for regular bail as may be permissible,” the Court added. .The Bench made the observations while dealing with two separate petitions filed by the accused lawyer seeking anticipatory bail in the matter and quashing of the rape case filed against him. The case hit the headlines when the Delhi High Court took an administrative decision to suspend judicial officer Sanjeev Kumar Singh and initiated a disciplinary probe against him and another district court judge. This, after it was alleged that the two judicial officers had allegedly pressured the complainant to withdraw the case against the lawyer.The complainant woman had filed a complaint accusing the 51-year-old lawyer of rape, criminal intimidation and assault. A first information report (FIR) was registered in June 2025 at Neb Sarai Police Station.She alleged that the accused, a widower, forced himself on her several times over five years under the pretext of marriage and that she became pregnant earlier this year.According to the prosecution, the accused took her to a hospital for an abortion and later assaulted her at a country club in South Delhi, where CCTV footage reportedly captured parts of the altercation..Senior Advocate Abhimanyu Bhandari appeared for the accused advocate today and argued that he did not approach any judicial officer to pressure the complaint. He said that the accused and the prosecutrix had a fight, which led to the registration of the FIR and the accusation of rape. Bhandari added that even his client had made allegations of extortion against the complainant woman, but the matter has been settled and all allegations have been withdrawn. “The IO [investigating officer] doesn’t need my custody,” he added. The prosecutrix’s lawyer also said that the case has been settled. .The Court said that in this case, the settlement may not be consensual because of the circumstances preceding it. “Counsel threatens, the judges threaten, and then you are saying it is consensual,” Justice Bhambhani said. Bhandari maintained his client never approached any of the judicial officers and that he was granted anticipatory bail, which was cancelled by the High Court after the complainant challenged it. “She is now here and saying the case has been settled. Nothing remains in the rape case,” he said.However, the Court said that it will not grant any protection to the accused. It then issued notice in the matter and listed the case for further hearing in February. .Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.
