Chamba (Himachal Pradesh) [India], November 11 (ANI): A local court in Chamba on Monday granted interim anticipatory bail to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Churah, Hans Raj, in a sexual exploitation case registered against him restraining police from arresting him until November 22.

The court has also directed the legislator to join the investigation.

Hans Raj had moved the court after a woman filed a complaint at the Women's Police Station, Chamba, on November 7, accusing him of sexually assaulting her when she was a minor and continuing to exploit her thereafter. Following the complaint, the MLA was booked under Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and Section 69 (sexual intercourse obtained through a false promise of marriage) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Speaking to ANI over the phone from Chamba, advocate Ajay Kochhar, counsel for the MLA, said, 'The court has granted interim bail to Hans Raj and directed him to join investigations. During the arguments, we highlighted inconsistencies in the complainant's statements to show that she is not speaking the truth. The victim had earlier filed an FIR in 2024, but did not mention the current allegations at that time.'

Kochhar further stated that we had argued in court that the case was 'politically motivated' and aimed at 'tarnishing the MLA's image.'

'We argued before the court that the entire case is politically driven and intended only to malign the reputation of the legislator,' he added.

According to the Chamba police record, this is the third FIR filed by the same complainant against Hans Raj. The first was registered on August 16, 2024, at the Women's Police Station, Chamba, in which the woman accused the MLA of sending obscene messages, demanding nude photographs, and issuing threats. However, days later, she withdrew her allegations through a social media live video, claiming she had made them under mental stress.

Earlier this month, the complainant resurfaced with a new seven-minute video, alleging that the MLA had 'ruined her family' and that she feared for her life. Hans Raj responded with his own video, calling the allegations 'baseless' and announcing plans to file a defamation case.

On November 8, the victim's father filed another FIR, accusing Hans Raj and two aides, Lekh Raj and Muniyan Khan, of kidnapping, wrongful confinement, assault, and criminal intimidation, under various provisions of the BNS. He alleged that the MLA's associates abducted him and his daughter to Shimla, broke their phones, and threatened them to withdraw their complaint.

Police sources confirmed that Hans Raj had been untraceable since the latest FIR but reappeared online soon after the bail order, posting 'Jai Bhole Nath' on his Facebook page, his first public statement after several days of silence. (ANI)