Rape and murder of minor: Mohiniraj’s bail plea rejected

The Bombay High Court rejected bail to Mohiniraj Yashwant Kulkarni (82),who was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl. Kulkarni has appealed against the conviction in HC and had also applied for bail. Rejecting his bail order,HC bench of justices Shrihari Davare and B R Gavai stated,“we do not find that the case is made out for bail”.

Advocate Ashok Mundargi,representing Kulkarni in the HC,said the conviction was largely based on approver (Rekha Randive,the child’s mother) and that the conviction cannot be passed solely on such evidence without there being corroboration. The prosecution countered this argument by stating that prima facie,there was no reason to disbelieve the approver’s evidence. ‘Moreover,that evidence was corroborated by Dr Bharati Ghadge,” said additional public prosecutor S D Shinde.

Kulkarni,a retired senior production manager with Hindustan Antibiotics Limited,was convicted for raping and murdering the minor at his bungalow in Narayan Peth on October 14,2009. Police said Kulkarni had offered Rs 50,000 to Rekha for not talking about the incident. Kulkarni and Rekha allegedly had an illicit relationship for about a year. Rekha,a domestic help,used to take care of Kulkarni’s bedridden wife.