“Abduction” Case Turns Out to be Voluntary Inter-Caste Marriage: Baramati Court Grants Anticipatory Bail to Husband and Family

Baramati, 19th February 2026: The Additional Sessions Court in Baramati has granted anticipatory bail to a man and his three family members who were accused of abducting a 28-year-old woman and stealing valuables. The court provided relief after the alleged “victim” appeared via video conference and testified that she had not been abducted but had voluntarily left home to marry her partner against her family’s wishes.

The Baramati Taluka Police Station had registered an FIR (Crime No. 62/2026) against Aniket Janardhan Choudhar, his parents, and his sister under Sections 87 (kidnapping/abduction), 352, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

The complainant, the woman’s brother, alleged that Aniket had harassed his sister under the guise of a love affair. The FIR stated that on January 28, 2026, the woman left for work at the MIDC but later called claiming she had to go to Pune for an emergency meeting because “Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had died in a plane crash.”

The family later realized this was a false pretext. When she did not return and went incommunicado by January 30, the family filed a complaint alleging she was abducted by the Choudhar family along with gold ornaments and Rs 32,000 in cash.

During the hearing, the defence lawyers Adv. Pushkar Patil and Adv. Ruturaj Pasalkar argued that the case was filed due to opposition to an inter-caste marriage. They submitted that the woman is a 28-year-old engineering graduate capable of making her own decisions. The defence produced a marriage certificate issued by a hall in Alandi, showing the couple had married.

It was argued that the family of the woman was opposed to the relationship and had implicated the husband’s family—including his married sister who lives in Pune—to harass them.

A crucial turning point in the hearing occurred when the woman appeared before the court via video conferencing from the City Civil Court in Greater Mumbai. She filed an affidavit stating she had left her parents’ home of her own accord to marry Aniket.

She categorically denied taking any cash or gold from her parents’ house and refuted the allegations of abduction. She further informed the court that she faced threats from her own family, which forced her to leave.

Additional Sessions Judge B.D. Shelke noted that the woman is an educated adult who has voluntarily entered into matrimony. The court observed that prima facie, there was no case for custodial interrogation.

“The victim has specifically contended that she voluntarily left the house… and is leading her matrimonial life peacefully,” the court noted.

The court allowed the anticipatory bail applications (No. 101/2026 and 112/2026), ordering the release of Aniket Choudhar, Janardhan Choudhar, Rohini Choudhar, and Sayali Ghuge in the event of arrest, upon furnishing a surety of Rs 50,000 each. They have been directed to report to the Baramati Taluka Police Station every Sunday between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM until the filing of the charge sheet and must not tamper with evidence.