Mumbai, Jun 13 A court here has refused bail to a man accused of sexually exploiting a woman diagnosed with autism.
Additional Sessions Judge Ashwini V Kasture, in the order passed on Friday, said the allegations disclosed not only physical exploitation but "also abuse of trust reposed in the applicant by the victim's family."
As per the prosecution's case, the woman's father introduced the accused to her in October 2023, asking him to look after her.
The woman was a commerce student who performed well academically, but medical experts had informed her parents that her condition made it difficult for her to fully comprehend right from wrong in a societal context, the prosecution said.
The accused took the young woman to multiple lodges to establish physical relations while knowing she lacked the capacity to provide legal consent, the police claimed.
The exploitation came to light in August 2025 when the woman told her cousin about the relationship.
The accused, a resident of Chembur, has been behind bars since his arrest on January 6, 2026.
The accused's lawyer claimed that the woman had demanded Rs 5 lakh from him in March 2025, and the complaint of sexual abuse was lodged only when he refused to pay.
The relationship was entirely consensual, the defence said, pointing out statements from lodge managers that the woman voluntarily checked in using her own identity card.
On the woman's medical condition, the defence contended that mild autism does not automatically nullify a person's capacity to consent.
The court, however, held that the seriousness of the accusation was a relevant consideration.
The woman's medical report confirmed that she had been diagnosed with "Autism Spectrum Disorder - Mild," the court noted.
"Whether the degree of autism was such as to affect the victim's capacity to give valid consent is a matter which can be conclusively determined only during trial on the basis of expert evidence and cross-examination of the witnesses," the court said.
Though a charge-sheet has been filed, the accused could not seek bail as a matter of right only on that ground, the judge said.
The accused and the woman live in the same locality, creating an apprehension of witness intimidation or adverse psychological impact on the woman, the judge held, rejecting the bail plea.
