Lucknow, Jan 17 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday extended the stay on the arrest of ATS Additional SP Rahul Srivastava and his wife till January 19 in an alleged rape case.

Earlier, the court had granted relief to the duo on Tuesday, asking the state counsel to place the evidence against them by Wednesday.

Also Read | Tata Mumbai Marathon 2024 Date: From Route and Timings to Bib Collection and Prizes, Here’s Everything You Need to Know About India’s Biggest Running Event.

A bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice NK Johari passed the interim order on the writ petition filed by Srivastava and his wife. They have challenged the FIR, urging that no case of rape was made out against them.

Lodging an FIR with Gomtinagar Vistar police station on January 6, the victim had alleged that Srivastava had raped her while his wife had issued threats to her.

Also Read | Flight Delayed or Cancelled Due to Fog? Know About Rights and How to Get Full Refund.

In the writ petition challenging the FIR, the petitioners have pleaded that it is evident from the documents placed on record that the victim was not in a relationship with the ASP.

The petition cited the victim's letter dated October 13, 2023 addressed to the vice chancellor of Lucknow University – where Srivastava's wife is employed as an associate professor – and said that the document shows that the victim was not in a relationship with the policeman.

But in the very next letter, addressed to the Director General of Police, sent on October 27, the victim has claimed that she was in a relationship with Srivastava between 2019 and 2023, the petition said.

"However, the FIR lodged by the victim on January 6 this year speaks of rape by the accused Rahul sometime in 2019. The FIR itself has been lodged after more than four years," added the petitioners .

Opposing the petition, the state counsel informed the bench about an inquiry ordered by the Director General of Police through the Additional Director General of Police, Women and Child Security Organization (WCSO).

The allegations made in the letter addressed to the DGP were probed by an SP of WCSO, the state counsel said.

The inquiry report dated january 2, 2024 has concluded that while there was no evidence of rape and blackmail found, there was evidence of a relationship between the accused and the victim, the counsel told the court.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)