JUDGMENT

DR. SWARANA KANTA SHARMA, J. (Oral)

1. By way of the present application, the applicant is seeking grant of regular bail in case arising out of FIR bearing no. 02/2026, registered at Police Station Chankyapuri, Delhi, for the commission of offences punishable under Sections 137(2)/64(2)/65/115(2)/351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (hereafter ‘BNS’), Sections 363/376 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (hereafter ‘IPC’) and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (hereafter ‘POCSO Act’).

2. The brief facts of the case, as borne out from the status report filed by the State, are that the victim/prosecutrix, along with her parents, had submitted a written complaint against the accused/applicant, Ankit Lakra. In her complaint, the prosecutrix stated that she was acquainted with the applicant and had been in a relationship with him after they had exchanged their Instagram IDs. She alleged that, in the year 2022, the applicant had first established physical relations with her and thereafter used to take her to different hotels on various occasions. As per the allegations, the last such incident had taken place in July, 2025. It was further alleged that