The Delhi High Court has denied bail to a self-proclaimed faith healer accused of raping a minor girl under the pretext of curing her of evil spirits or ‘jinn’ noting that he took “undue advantage” of the vulnerable physical and mental condition of the victim.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, in an order passed on April 29, observed that the accused instead of providing help to the girl allegedly exploited the victim under the guise of treatment.

The case dates back to 2019, when the victim was 17-year-old and had been suffering from poor health for several years, despite medical treatment. Her family believed that she was under the influence of some evil spirit or jinn and approached persons performing ‘jhad-phoonk’ and faith healing.

On the advice of one of her father’s friends, the girl was taken to the accused, who claimed himself to be a maulvi and faith healer. When the girl was first taken to the accused, he asked her strange and inappropriate questions while she was alone with him. Later, he went to the girl’s house and stated that he had to treat her alone and sexually assaulted her.

The girl narrated the incident to her mother the next morning, following which FIR was registered.

The counsel appearing for the accused argued that he has been in judicial custody since October 2019, for more than six years, “which amounts to an infringement of his right to personal liberty and right to speedy trial”.

The court, however, remarked, “This Court is of the view that the material placed on record prima facie reflects that the applicant took undue advantage of the vulnerable physical and mental condition of the prosecutrix as well as the blind faith reposed in him by her family”.

“The prosecutrix was a young girl suffering from illness, and both she and her family were made to believe that the applicant could cure her through spiritual treatment. Instead of providing any such help, the applicant (victim) allegedly misused that trust and exploited the prosecutrix under the guise of treatment,” the court remarked while denying bail to the accused.