IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Date of Decision: 13.10.2025 Sahil Verma ......Petitioner Versus State of Haryana .....Respondent CORAM: HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE KIRTI SINGH Present: Mr. Vikas Singh, Advocate for the petitioner.

Mr. Anmol Malik, DAG, Haryana.

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KIRTI SINGH , J. (ORAL)

1. The jurisdiction of this Court under Section 483 of BNSS, 2023 has been invoked for grant of regular bail to the petitioner in case FIR No. 147 dated 14.5.2022 under Sections 323, 341, 354-A, 354-D, 506, 120- B, 216 and 201 IPC and Sections 8 and 12 of the POCSO Act, registered at Police Station City Pehowa, District Kurukshetra.

2. The translated version of the FIR is reproduced below:-

“Complainant xxxxx d/o Sampuran singh r/o old Bazar Mata Bala Sundari Mandir Wali gali, Tehsil Pehowa Dist. Kurukshetra made a complainant against Sahil Verma s/o Roshan lal Sharma, R/o old Bazar, Mata bala sundari Mandir Wali Gali, in front of Bero Nath Mandir Pehowa tehsil district Kurukshetra alleging that accused was studying in the same school in class 11 and 12 class in the year 2016 to 2018 along with complainant and he has been harassing and teasing her since then. When the complainant was studying in 11th and 12th and she used to go to tuition or school then he would stop her on the way and forcibly caught hold of her hand and would to make obscene comments. He also used to threaten her that if she will disclose about this fact to any body then he will bring dishonour to her. After completion of her 12" class, she started going to a computer centre, where one day applicant-accused forcibly snatched her mobile phone and transferred the phone numbers saved in her mobile phone to his phone after taking OTP he started keeping watch that when her internet is on off and when she is receiving calls or not. Thus, he has hacked her phone and started harassing her. He also used to threaten her that if she will tell about this fact to any body then he will bring dishonour to her. She took admission in the year 2018 in Hotel Management course and there also he started coming after her. One day, he caught hold of her hand and when she objected then he slapped her and tore off her assignment and started pressurizing her to meet him daily. After threatening her, he took her to hotel many-times and prepared her obscene videos and photographs and threatened to viral the same if she will not agree with him. She got scared and did not tell anything to her parents. In April 2020, she went to Ramada Plaza Hotel, Zirakpur for training purpose, where he kept calling her again and again and harassed her. On 30.04.2022, when she was going with her friend 'R from PG Punjabi Complex, Batlana then he forcibly stopped her and snatched her detail mark sheet of 10th and 12^th class touched her private parts forcibly and slapped her. He also scanned the WhatsApp code of her phone and hacked it. He threatened to throw acid on her face. He sent the amounts of ₹1,000/-, ₹ 1,000/- and ₹8,000/- to her account to show that she is in touch with him. He used to call her family members through Spoofing website from her mobile number and has been harassing all of them. The girls who were on training with her motivated her not to endure such behaviour and tell her parents. Then she told her parents every thing telephonically and she was brought back to Pehowa. They told everything to parents of applicant-accused and they assured that he will not repeat such an acts in future. However, on 12.05.2022 at around 07:30 p.m., when she was going Brahmjoon Temple then he forcibly caught hold of her hand and stopped her from going to the temple and again touched her private part. He asked her to go with him to establish physical relations, but she refused. He started removing her clothes and she started crying loudly. He also said that he will not allow her to stay happy with any body and pressurized her to commit suicide. He also threatened to put acid on her face and spoil her life. She