In a major relief for BJP MLA Hans Raj, a court in Chamba has granted him interim anticipatory bail in a POCSO case while directing him to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
The three-time legislator and former Deputy Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha was booked for alleged aggravated sexual assault under Section 6 of the POCSO Act and sexual intercourse on the false promise of marriage under Section 69 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The case is based on the statement of a woman who accused the MLA of sexually assaulting her when she was a minor.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Ajay Kochhar, representing Hans Raj, argued that the complaint was politically motivated and aimed at tarnishing the MLA&rsquo;s image. &ldquo;The FIR was filed after the complainant learnt about proceedings initiated against her for misleading authorities in an earlier case that had already been closed,&rdquo; Kochhar said. &ldquo;The court accepted our submission and instructed the MLA to cooperate with the investigation. The matter will be heard again on November 22.&rdquo;
Chamba police, however, maintained that custodial interrogation might still be necessary given the sensitivity of the allegations. A police officer said, &ldquo;The woman, in her statement under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, stated that the incident occurred when Hans Raj was serving as Deputy Speaker. She also disclosed the location of the alleged crime. Further investigation is underway.&rdquo;
The woman, who belongs to a minority community, had previously accused the MLA of harassment on social media but later withdrew her statement, leading to the case&rsquo;s closure. Recently, she uploaded a video alleging that the MLA&rsquo;s aides were threatening her and her father to retract her latest complaint. Two of Hans Raj&rsquo;s associates, including his personal assistant, were subsequently arrested on charges of kidnapping and intimidation.
Hans Raj, who served as Deputy Speaker from 2017 to 2022, has denied all allegations, claiming they are politically motivated and aimed at inciting communal tension.

BJP MLA Hans Raj Gets Interim Anticipatory Bail

Chamba court grants pre-arrest bail to BJP MLA in POCSO case, asks him to join probe

BJP MLA Hans Raj Gets Interim Anticipatory Bail

Chamba court grants pre-arrest bail to BJP MLA in POCSO case, asks him to join probe

November 12, 2025 | 09:07 IST