Lesbian Woman moves HC against anticipatory bail to lesbian partner

Ahmedabad: A woman who accused her lesbian lover of extortion and blackmail, wants her partner to be in jail. She has approached Gujarat high court demanding cancellation of anticipatory bail.

Jagruti Pandya from Ranip has raised contention in her petition that even after she lodged an FIR against her friend advocate Ramila Patel, the latter continued to harass her. Also that her desperate attempts to contact her led to fisticuffs between them on a couple of occasions.

The facts regarding the lesbian relationship between the two women first came in the open in July, when Jagruti approached Ranip police and lodged an FIR against her neighbour and friend Ramila, who is a practicing lawyer. Jagruti revealed before the cops that she had physical relations with Ramila, and the latter used to call her to hotels and both of them used to get themselves photographed taking help of a professional photographer.

Jagruti alleged that Ramila had once called her to Mehsana and made her dressed as a bride, and both of them got themselves snapped as married couple. Jagruti’s specifically alleged that Ramila began blackmailing her by threatening to make the photos and videos public. She allegedly extorted nearly Rs 60,000 from her. Moreover, Jagruti also claimed that she was physically tortured.

After a week’s probe, Ranip police requested the court to add charges of having unnatural sex against Ramila. By this time, Ramila had moved sessions court demanding anticipatory bail with counter allegation that Jagruti had extra-marital relations, though she was married. In granting anticipatory bail, principal district judge G N Patel noticed both women had lesbian relationship and there was evidence to show that Jagruti accompanied Ramila on her own.

Dissatisfied with court protection to Ramila against police arrest, Jagruti filed a petition in HC demanding cancellation of her anticipatory bail on the ground that the torture continued even after lower court’s order on various conditions that Ramila should not contact her.