A Padma awardee of Assam, accused of sexually abusing a minor girl he was fostering, has obtained an interim anticipatory bail from Gauhati High Court to evade arrest after a case was registered against him.

The vacation bench of Justice Arun Dev Choudhury granted the anticipatory bail to the accused, who prayed that the FIR was filed to malign his reputation and the complaint did not have any specific statement of the victim. The court, however, noted in its order passed on December 28 that the case is “serious” in nature as it includes offences under the POCSO Act and sought the case dairy from the police on January 7.