HC defers relief to cricketer Yash Dayal in rape case:Lawyer says, ‘victim reported incident in Kanpur, case registered in Jaipur’; investigating officer summoned

IPL champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru fast bowler Yash Dayal has not received any immediate relief from the High Court in the rape case registered against him. Justice Praveer Bhatnagar’s court heard Dayal’s anticipatory bail plea on Friday. After considering arguments from both sides, the court directed the investigating officer to be present on 19 January. It is pertinent to note that a POCSO court had earlier rejected the cricketer’s anticipatory bail application on 22 December 2025. Defence claims case filed to blackmail cricketer Appearing for Yash Dayal, advocate Chandrashekhar Sharma argued that the complaint was filed with the sole intention of blackmailing the cricketer. He raised several objections before the court. The defence submitted that the alleged incident was said to have occurred in Kanpur in 2023, but the FIR was lodged almost two years later at Sanganer Sadar police station in Jaipur. The lawyer questioned the territorial jurisdiction of the Jaipur police, arguing that if the incident had taken place in Kanpur, the case should not have been registered in Jaipur.
Questions raised on victim’s minor claim The defence further pointed out that the victim stated in her testimony that she was a minor at the time of the alleged incident and had booked a hotel room using her relative’s identity card. Despite this claim, the police did not interrogate the relative whose ID was allegedly used for the booking. The lawyer told the court that Yash Dayal always met the victim in public places and in the presence of other team members. According to the defence, the two never met alone in any isolated location. During these interactions, the victim never disclosed that she was under 18 years of age. It was also argued that the FIR does not clearly state that the victim was a minor at the time of the alleged rape. Defence questions post-incident conduct The defence questioned the victim’s conduct after the alleged incident. It argued that if the victim had been raped in Kanpur, it was unclear why she continued to travel to different cities with the petitioner afterwards. According to the defence, the victim has not provided any explanation for this aspect. The lawyer also told the court that in the rape case registered in Uttar Pradesh, the accused had obtained relief from the Allahabad High Court. Just eight days later, the victim registered a separate case in Jaipur, raising questions about intent and timing.
Prosecution cites call records and hotel evidence Representing the victim, advocate Divesh Sharma countered the defence arguments. He informed the court that during the investigation, police recovered the call detail records (CDRs) of both the victim and the accused, which confirmed regular communication between them. He also stated that there is documentary evidence showing that both the accused and the victim stayed at the hotels mentioned in the complaint. POCSO case backed by digital evidence The victim’s counsel submitted that analysis of chats, photographs and videos recovered from the victim’s mobile phone establishes a prima facie case under the POCSO Act against the accused. He alleged that while Yash Dayal was playing in the IPL, he called the victim to meet him at a hotel near the Jaipur railway station on 3–4 May, where he allegedly had sexual relations with her. Allegations of coercion and false promises According to the prosecution, when the victim initially refused, the accused allegedly lured her with promises of financial and emotional support related to her father’s case and assured her of admission to a cricket academy in Kanpur. Based on these assurances, the victim was called to Kanpur on 2–3 September 2023, where she was allegedly forcibly raped in a hotel, as per the prosecution’s submissions.