Appellate Court has released 35-year-old Umesh Kumar Yadav of Itahari Bishnupur VDC-4, accused of attempting to rape a 25-year-old woman, on bail on January 1. The division bench of chief judge Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada and judge Nanda Lal Mahato Tharu ordered his release on the bail deposit of Rs 25,000, upturning the District Court verdict of holding him in prison for investigation. The Appellate Court verdict shadily cites the line in the complaint that ‘it did not mention the words attempt to rape but only the attempt to take off the woman’s sari and blouse’ as being the ground for their release.

The woman had filed a complaint at District Police Office on September 14 saying the accused and Ashish Lal Yadav, 40, of Itahari Bishnupur VDC-3 had entered her under-construction house on September 13 night in an attempt to rape her. Her medical checkup was conducted at Zonal Hospital, Rajbiraj on September 15. The case of attempt to rape was filed against the accused duo on September 17. The District Court issued an arrest warrant against the accused on October 16. Of the two accused, Umesh was arrested by the police in Rajbiraj Municipality-1 on November 13. He was remanded in Rajbiraj Prison since November 14 on the order of District Judge Pushpa Raj Thapaliya.