Guwahati: Padmashree awardee Udhab Bharali, who has been booked for allegedly raping a minor and is out on bail, on Thursday denied the accusations levelled against him by the Lakhimpur district Child Welfare Committe.
Addressing the media, Bharali – an acclaimed innovator – termed the accusations as a conspiracy to malign his image.
Bharali was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, for allegedly raping a minor while she was under his foster care.
Police registered an FIR against him invoking sections of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act based on a complaint from a Chief Judicial Magistrate who was briefed by the District Legal Services Authority (DSLA), Lakhimpur on December 17.
He was granted a pre-arrest bail by Gauhati High Court on December 28 while calling for the case diary on January 7.
