Srinagar, June 4 -- The High Court of J&K and Ladakh on Wednesday dismissed the bail application of a 59-year-old Kupwara resident accused in a rape and criminal intimidation case, observing that the gravity of the allegations and the existence of a prima facie case weighed heavily against granting him relief.

Justice M A Chowdhary passed the judgment while hearing a plea filed by Farooq Ahmad Dar of Sogam, Lolab, who is facing trial in connection with FIR No. 17/2022 registered at Police Station Women Wing, Kupwara, under Sections 376 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code.

The accused had sought release on bail, contending that he had been falsely implicated due to longstanding family disputes arising out of his marriage with the mother of ...