Kathua Rape Case Activist Talib Hussain Faces Sexual Assault Charge Under #MeToo Campaign, Advocate Indira Jaising Drops His Case
A JNU Student had on Saturday accused Talib Hussain of raping her in April 2018. The Bakerwal activist is currently out on bail in a domestic violence case filed by his estranged wife.
New Delhi, October 21: Senior Supreme Court advocate Indira Jaising, who is appearing for Bakerwal activist Talib Hussain in a custodial torture case, said she would drop his case as a credible rape charge has been levelled against him under the #MeToo campaign.
Talib, who was at the forefront to seek justice for the 8-year-old Bakerwal community girl raped and murdered in Jammu & Kashmir's Kathua, was arrested a couple of months ago on domestic violence charge levelled by his estranged wife.
In the police custody, Talib was allegedly subjected to torture, which had compelled Indira Jaising file a pro bono petition against the alleged excesses.
"I did not represent him on domestic violence and rape, it was for custodial torture. I will continue to oppose custodial torture of any accused person regardless of the crime alleged against the person concerned. It is immoral, illegal, unethical and unconstitutional," Jaising said on Twitter, on being asked why she was representing Talib despite the domestic violence accusations levelled against him.
#MeToo Allegation Against Talib
The activist was on Saturday accused by a JNU student, who claimed that Talib had raped her at a room in Delhi's Batla House in April this year. She penned an article in the FirstPost narrating the sequence of the alleged sexual assault.
The victim claimed that a week before "raping" her, Talib had proposed to marry her. "His declared intention (of 'nikaah') was not just to deceive me, it was also intended to assure himself that he is not from the same category of the men who raped and murdered the eight-year old Bakarwal child," she said.
While Talib has not reacted to the allegations so far, his family members have called them malicious. The girl is linked to his estranged wife, claimed Wajid Khatana, another nomad activist. "When they failed to prove that he was to be blamed in a domestic violence and dowry case, they tried implicating him in rape case," he alleged.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 22, 2018 12:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).