The Bombay High Court has granted anticipatory bail to a man accused of raping a girl with whom he was in a relationship after the accused assured the court that he would marry the victim.

Justice A S Gadkari was hearing the anticipatory bail plea filed by one Jaywant Jadhav against whom a case was lodged on April 4 by the city police for allegedly cheating and raping a girl with whom he was in a relation.

According to the prosecution, the victim girl was introduced to the accused through a common friend. The duo then got into a relationship. The victim in her complaint has claimed that the accused took advantage of her and forced her into a sexual relationship. When the parents of the girl got to know about the relation, they approached the boy's parents. When they reufsed to get the two married, the girl and her parents lodged a case against the boy.

Jaywant in his anticipatory bail plea argued that he had not forced the girl and that they were in a relationship and the act was consensual.

The high court, during hearing of Jaywant's plea, asked him if he was ready to marry the girl. "Upon a specific query by this court to the applicant (Jaywant) if he is ready and willing to marry the victim girl, the father of the applicant, who is present in the court, makes a statement that the applicant will marry the victim girl and the parents of the applicant will accept the girl as their daughter-in-law and will not create any trouble in her future life," Justice Gadkari observed.

The court accepted the assurance and granted Jaywant interim relief from arrest till May 28. The court directed for the victim girl to be included as party respondent in the bail plea and posted the matter for hearing on May 28.