Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): The Madhya Pradesh High Court has dismissed the anticipatory bail pleas of individuals who claimed to be journalists and were accused of blackmailing and physically assaulting a Dalit woman teacher in Dhar’s Sardarpur.

A single-judge bench of Justice Gajendra Singh denied relief to Mukesh Kumawat and Mohit Jat, who were accused in a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

The judge observed that the statutory bar on grant of anticipatory bail under Section 18 of the Act applied, as the allegations in the FIR disclosed a prima facie case of caste-based insult and humiliation.

Allegedly, the accused not only blackmailed and physically assaulted a Dalit woman teacher, but also demanded Rs 1 lakh and threatened to circulate videos defaming her.

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