SC cancels bail of convict in British tourist rape case

New Delhi, Jan 18 (PTI) The Supreme Court of India has
cancelled the bail granted to guest house owner Parbat Singh
who was sentenced by a sessions court to life imprisonment for
raping a British tourist in Udaipur district in north-western
state of Rajasthan.

A bench of Justices Markandeya Katju and V S Sirpurkar
directed the convict to forthwith surrender before the
authorities to serve the sentence handed down to him by the
sessions court.

The apex court passed the direction on an appeal filed by
the victim challenging the bail granted to Singh, by Rajasthan
High Court despite his conviction by the sessions court for
the heinous crime.

Parbat Singh, proprietor of Pardesi Guest House in
Udaipur's Ambamata region, raped the British tourist who is a
freelance journalist on December 23, 2007 on the pretext
of giving her an extra blanket.

Though the Fast Track Court, Udaipur, on May 1, 2008
convicted and sentenced Singh to life imprisonment, the
Rajasthan High Court in July last year suspended the sentence
and granted bail to the convict, pending disposal of the
appeal filed by him.

Questioning the suspension of sentence and grant of bail,
the victim in her petition before the apex court submitted
that granting such a relief to the convict has not only
wrecked her psychologically and shattered her spirits, but
would also seriously erode India's image as a tourist
destination.

The British victim submitted that granting bail and
suspending the sentence on Singh involved in such a heinous
offence amounted to rewarding a convict and hence the High
Court's order should be quashed.

According to the petitioner, the High Court's order
granting such a relief to the convict was both against the law
and principles of equity. PTI