Television Actor Pearl V Puri Gets Bail In Case Of Alleged Rape

Pearl Puri gets bail in the case of alleged minor rape and molestation, reports said Tuesday. A Vasai court granted him relief from judicial custody after 11 days.

Puri, a Mumbai-based television actor known for starring in shows Naagin 3 and Bepanah Pyaar, was arrested June 4 by Waliv police. He was accused of raping the five-year-old daughter of a co-actor in 2019, reports said. Puri was charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Track the case here.

The 31-year-old had applied for bail on June 7. This was the third hearing in his bail plea. News of his release was confirmed by his lawyer Jitesh Agarwal to India Today. 

Pearl Puri Gets Bail: Highlights Of The Case

There has been much talk around Puri's case from the television industry quarters as well as from the minor's parents. Celebrities and colleagues of Puri - including Ekta Kapoor, Karishma Tanna, Divya Khosla Kumar, among others - spoke in support of Puri. More on that here.

While the minor's mother has spoken in defence of Puri, her father alleges she mentioned her ordeal to him accusing Puri of rape. "The girl reported the matter and it was confirmed through a medical examination that the girl was speaking the truth," he said in a statement as per reports.

The parents are reportedly in a custody battle for the child. The mother, a struggling actor, has said the matter is subjudiced and pending in High Court. She has requested people to not "make a mockery of the legal system."

When questioned, the minor reportedly identified Puri as the accused by his character name from Bepanah Pyaar, the show on which his mother is his co-star. She then identified a photo of him and a statement was recorded under Section 164 of CrPC. The father of the girl has alleged many influential people are showing public support for Puri and that his marital relationship was being used to push a narrative against him.