Pinki Pramanik, who was arrested on June 14, has alleged her former live-in lover brought rape charges against her after the athlete refused to give her 300,000 rupees. – Photo by AFP
Pinki Pramanik, who was arrested on June 14, has alleged her former live-in lover brought rape charges against her after the athlete refused to give her 300,000 rupees. – Photo by AFP

KOLKATA: An Indian court granted bail on Tuesday to a female international athlete charged with raping her former girlfriend, who has alleged that she is actually a man.

Pinki Pramanik, who retired in 2007 after winning a team gold in the 4x400m relay at the 2006 Asian Games, underwent a gender determination test during her detention in West Bengal state.

Doctors from a state-run hospital said that Pramanik’s test results were delivered on Tuesday to the trial magistrate in the Barasat district of Kolkata.

“The medical board set up for determining the gender of Pramanik submitted its report after she was produced before the court,” Tamal Kanti Ghosh, medical superintendent at the SSKM hospital, told AFP.

Pramanik, who was arrested on June 14, has alleged her former live-in lover brought rape charges against her after the athlete refused to give her 300,000 rupees.

The content of the doctors’ report was not made public.

But defence lawyer Sibabrata Mukherjee told AFP that the court granted bail to Pramanik as “the accused does not have the capacity” for penetrative sex.

“The allegation of rape does not stand against Pramanik,” Mukherjee said.

Pramanik grew up as the daughter of a poor farmer in rural West Bengal, about 140 miles (220 kilometres) from Kolkata and now works as a ticket inspector on the Indian railways.

She also won a silver in the 4x400m relay at the 2006 Commonwealth Games before she stopped competing the following year.

Pramanik, who had lived with her former partner in Kolkata for several months, was arrested for alleged rape, criminal assault, cheating and criminal intimidation.

Gender disputes in sport are often caused by Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, when females have male physical characteristics, or Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, when someone is genetically male but their genitals may appear to be those of a female.

Opinion

Editorial

Climate choices
Updated 15 Jun, 2026

Climate choices

The country is confronting increasingly volatile weather patterns with consequences for agriculture, infrastructure, public health and economic planning.
Brief opening
15 Jun, 2026

Brief opening

WE have been here before. Throughout the weekend, there was great anticipation that a tentative framework for peace...
Environmental disaster
15 Jun, 2026

Environmental disaster

IT was a heartbreaking sight. A recent news report in these pages carried a picture of a sea turtle lying half ...
Budget presser
Updated 14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

If the FBR falters, the government will find itself in hot water sooner rather than later.
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...