HYDERABAD, July 11: The fourth additional district judge here on Thursday granted interim pre-arrest bail to the accused, Yamin Rajput, in the rape case of a Kolhi girl, Meeran, for a sum of Rs100,000.

The accused sought bail through Advocate Hidayatullah Abbasi.

The case against Yamin Rajput and some unidentified persons was lodged at the Husri police station after Meeran claimed to have been sexually assaulted by Rajput and four other unknown persons. Some of the accused have been arrested.

The bail application was filed before the district and sessions judge who transferred it to the fourth additional district judge. As Advocate Abbasi left the courtroom of the district and sessions judge along with his client, Yamin Rajput, for the court concerned, a Husri police officer, Jamali, caught hold of Rajput saying he was under arrest.

Advocate Abbasi protested against this and filed application before the district and sessions judge and the fourth additional district judge, arguing that the bail application was transferred to other court and it was yet to be decided but the police acted quite unlawfully and caught hold of his client in the court premises. The district and sessions judge called the police officer in the court.

Advocate Abbasi contended before the court that his client had obtained the land of the Zeal Pak Cement Factory on ‘Muqatah’ basis. He said the land had been encroached upon by nomads, Kolhis, and added that when Rajput, his client, asked them to leave the land, they refused and staged the farce of the rape of Meeran, daughter of Veeho.

He said the story of the complainant was mind-boggling and had been falsified by the report of the physical medical examination of the girl, conducted by a woman medico legal officer of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences.

He also disputed the version of the complainant who claimed to have gone to fetch water from the water pumping machine of Rajput.

The advocate pointed out that the land where they were residing was located near the Phuleli Canal and hand-pumps were also available at their own accommodation. The bail has been fixed for confirmation on July 16.

CONTRACT CANCELLED: The taluka officer regulation/administration, Hyderabad City Taluka, notified here on Wednesday that the contract of Mohammad Shakir and Shahzad Khan for sanitation and conservancy and collection of hawkers licence fees for the year 2001-2002 had expired, adding that both of them were defaulters and their contract had been cancelled.