The legal situation surrounding Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Yash Dayal took a more serious turn on Tuesday as a special “POCSO” court in Jaipur declined to grant him anticipatory bail, a ruling that significantly heightens the stakes for the cricketer, according to a report by NDTV.
A “POCSO” court is specifically a designated Sessions Court, established to ensure the speedy and child-friendly trial of cases filed under the “Protection of Children from Sexual Offences” (POCSO) Act, 2012.
Court finds no grounds for anticipatory bail
The order was passed by Judge Alka Bansal of the Jaipur Metropolitan POCSO Court after hearing arguments from both sides. The court held that the material available on record did not support the claim that Dayal had been falsely implicated, and that the investigation pointed towards his possible involvement. In light of this assessment, the court ruled that anticipatory bail could not be granted at this stage.
The judge also took note of the seriousness of the allegations while evaluating whether pre-arrest protection was warranted under the law governing cases involving minors.
FIR details and scope of allegations
The case is based on an FIR registered at the Sanganer Sadar police station in Jaipur. The complainant has alleged that the incidents occurred over a period of around two-and-a-half years, beginning when she was a minor.
According to investigators, the alleged offences took place at multiple locations, including hotels in Jaipur and Kanpur. Police are examining chats, photographs and videos recovered from the complainant’s mobile phone, along with call records and hotel stay documents, which are being treated as key evidence under POCSO provisions.
Defence arguments fail to sway the court
Dayal’s legal team argued that the cricketer met the complainant only in public places and never in private. The defence further claimed that the complainant had presented herself as an adult and had accepted money citing financial difficulties, later making repeated demands.
Despite these submissions, the court concluded that the defence arguments did not outweigh the gravity of the allegations or weaken the evidentiary material collected during the investigation.
Links to earlier Ghaziabad proceedings
The case has also drawn attention due to a related complaint previously filed in Ghaziabad. An earlier case had been registered at the Indirapuram police station in July, in which proceedings were stayed by the Allahabad High Court.
Subsequently, a fresh FIR was lodged in Jaipur, with the complainant stating that the alleged incident occurred two years ago when she was still a minor. The Jaipur case has been registered under Section 69 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with sexual intercourse through deceitful means.
Uncertainty clouds the cricketer’s future
With anticipatory bail denied, the investigation is expected to continue without judicial protection from arrest, placing Dayal under increased legal pressure. The ruling marks a critical stage in the case and adds further uncertainty to the fast bowler’s professional future as legal proceedings move forward.
Meanwhile, amidst these development, fan outcry about RCB’s retention of Dayal is intensifying, placing additional pressure on the team.
