JUDGMENT

K. Natarajan, J. - This petition is filed by the petitioner/accused under Section 439 of Cr.P.C. for granting regular bail in Crime No. 55/2022 registered by Tumkuru Women Police Station, Tumkuru District, for the offences punishable under Sections 376 and 506 of IPC and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012('POCSO Act' for short).

2. Heard the arguments of the learned Senior Counsel for the petitioner and the learned High Court Government Pleader appearing for the respondent-State. The respondent No. 2 is also represented by the learned High Court Government Pleader.

3. The case of the prosecution is that respondent No. 2 Hanumantharayappa, filed a complaint with the police on 05.05.2022, alleging that his niece victim girl aged about 15 years is residing with him in his house where his father is also residing. The parents of the victim girl died about eight years back and she is studying in IX standard. About 15 days prior to the filing of the complaint, he had been to his wife's native place and when he came back, the victim was not found in the house. On enquiry, he came to know that she was in the grandmother's house. Thereafter, he went