Madhya Pradesh HC grants bail to accused in govt engineer’s ‘Honey Trap’ case, blames victim for misusing privileges of his post

Read Judgement: Shweta W/o Swapnil Jain v. State of M.P  

LE Staff

Indore, July 8, 2021: The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted bail to the three accused in a “Honey Trap” scandal, which involves allegations of blackmailing a government engineer to pay the accused three crores on the threat of releasing intimate videos.

Justice Subodh Abhyankar proceeded to grant bail to the accused considering that they have spent about 22 months in jail.

While granting bail, the High Court said although the alleged crime was undoubtedly heinous, the sufferer, Harbhajan Singh, who was an engineer with the Indore Municipal Corporation, was equally responsible.

“The complainant Harbhajan Singh has openly misused the privileges of his post and has allowed himself to be the soft target of the unscrupulous persons. He chatted salaciously with the applicants, allowed himself the luxury of their intimate company and when things went out of his control, he started crying wolf,” Justice Abhyankar observed.

The High Court highlighted that persons in high office are expected to show a higher standard of integrity, morality and bonafide character. The Court further opined that if the victim forsakes these virtues and allows himself to be exploited, then he is the only one to be blamed for such consequences. 

Taking into consideration the gravity of the offence committed and the fact that trial has not commenced as the charges are yet to be framed and as many as fifty seven witnesses have to be examined by the prosecution, the Bench opined that the applicants are entitled to be released on bail as the final conclusion of the trial is likely to take long time on account of COVID-19. 

The case pertains to a group of people threatening the engineer, Harbhajan Singh, that they would leak videos showing him in sexual acts with women. The videos were shot without his knowledge and the blackmailers sought money from him.