SC reserves order on plea for cancellation of bail to Karim Morani

The Supreme Court today reserved its order on a plea seeking cancellation of bail granted to Bollywood producer Karim Morani, accused of raping an aspiring actress.

Morani has been accused by a 25-year-old woman of "aggravated", "brutal rape" over a period of six months. He has denied the allegations.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud was hearing the plea of the woman challenging the order of the High Court of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh at Hyderabad, granting bail to Morani in the case in November last year.

The woman, an aspiring actor, has claimed in her petition that she was raped under threat of elimination by the underworld and her nude pictures, possibly taken during the alleged assaults, circulated.

It was alleged that Morani had sedated the woman and raped her several times, took her nude photos between July 2015 and January 2016.

The apex court had on September 22 last year upheld the decisions of the High Court and the trial court to cancel the anticipatory bail granted to Morani in the case.

Initially, the lower court had granted anticipatory bail to Morani, but had later cancelled it on the ground of concealment of the fact that he has been facing criminal trial in the 2G scam case and was in jail for several months.

Morani is currently out on bail after being granted the relief by the High Court.