Maid torture: Doctor's wife gets bail

New Delhi, April 11 (IANS) A Delhi court Wednesday granted bail to a woman arrested along with her doctor husband April 4 for allegedly locking up their 13-year-old maid in their house with very little food before leaving for a vacation in Thailand last month.

Additional Sessions Judge I.S. Mehta granted bail to Sumita Verma, wife Sanjay Verma, on grounds of being a woman and not being required for further investigation.

Sumita Verma, who is also a doctor, moved the bail application after the court April 9 sent the couple, along with alleged middleman Mahadev, to 14 days' judicial custody.

The court while granting bail said: "The petitioner (Sumita Verma) is a lady and is not required for further investigation in the present case and the victim has already been kept in a home for girls at Nirmal Chhaya."

The court asked the petitioner not to leave India without its permission. It also cautioned her against trying to influence witnesses.

The court gave bail to her on a personal bond of Rs.25,000 with one surety of same amount.

The couple had allegedly locked the minor girl in their flat in west Delhi's Dwarka March 25 when they left the country for vacation.

The girl was rescued March 30 after neighbours saw her crying in the flat's balcony. The police said that Mahadev had handed over the girl to a placement agency after bringing her from her native place in Jharkhand.

Seeking bail, Verma's counsel told the court that the petitioner was no longer needed for probe. "The couple has a 10-year-old daughter and as both the parents are in judicial custody, there is no one in their family to look after the minor child."

Chief Public Prosecutor Devender Kumar opposed the bail plea and said that investigation regarding trafficking was still pending so Verma should not be released on bail.

The first information report (FIR) against the couple was filed under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act and the Indian Penal Code.