RCB player Yash Dayal booked for ‘sexual exploitation': Cricketer moves Allahabad HC, seeks stay on arrest

Indian Express

10-07-2025

Days after the Ghaziabad Police booked cricketer and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) player Yash Dayal for allegedly 'emotionally, mentally, and physically' exploiting a woman after promising to marry her, the 27-year-old cricketer on Thursday moved the Allahabad High Court seeking a stay on his arrest.
The police had booked Dayal on Sunday under Section 69 (sexual intercourse by deceitful means, including a false promise of marriage) of BNS after the woman, on June 21, filed a complaint through the Chief Minister's online grievance portal (IGRS).
In his writ petition moved before the HC, Dayal denied establishing any physical relationship with the woman on the pretext of marriage.
'… as per the FIR, it has been admitted by the informant that she was treated like a daughter-in-law by the parents of the petitioner, meaning thereby that the intention of the petitioner was never to cheat her… However, it was the attitude of the victim which changed over the course of time, and the petitioner realised that he would not be able to marry her; as such, he decided to end the relationship,' the petition stated.
It added that even if the woman's version is taken to be true, then at best, it constitutes a failure to fulfill the promise and not a false promise to marry.
In the petition, Dayal told the HC that he never entered into a friendship or relationship with the victim by promising her marriage. 'It was a mutual friendship, which later on turned sour because of the victim herself,' the petition said.
Dayal also alleged that the lodging of the FIR was delayed, which 'eroded any veracity and truthfulness' of the case.
In the FIR, the woman had alleged that Dayal repeatedly had physical relations with her by falsely promising marriage and introduced her to his family, who assured that she would be their daughter-in-law. She had further said that she was suffering from depression, for which she sought treatment and had also attempted suicide.
In his plea, Dayal said that in February 2022, he was selected by the Gujarat Titans for an auction amount of Rs 3.2 crore. Following this, he started getting recognition and gained popularity. 'The victim saw this as an opportunity and started getting closer to the petitioner,' it read.
Dayal alleged that he was terrified of the threats issued by the woman if he didn't unblock her on WhatsApp or tried to distance himself from her, and that she repeatedly sent him photographs of her attempting suicide. 'I complied with her wishes, albeit under duress and threat of suicide,' he said.
Neetika Jha is a Correspondent with The Indian Express. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida, Ghaziabad and western UP. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee. The Thursday Murder club, Yellow Face and Before the Coffee Gets Cold were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More