The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to the third person accused in the gang rape of an IIT student from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 2023, officials said on Wednesday.

Government counsel Manoj Kumar Gupta said the high court granted bail to Saksham Patel on Monday. Two other accused in the case -- Kunal Pandey and Abhishek Chauhan -- were granted bail earlier.

Gupta also claimed the gang rape survivor told him after Patel was granted bail that she was leaving Varanasi for another other city.

The victim earlier requested the court to allow her to attend hearings virtually, citing academic disruptions caused by frequent court appearances and the emotional strain of facing her alleged attackers in person.

Gupta said the court is yet to pass orders on the victim's plea.

The hearing in the case is not moving at a fast pace, forcing the victim to appear in the court again and again, Gupta claimed.

The case dates back to November 1, 2023, when the IIT student, along with her friend, was allegedly accosted by three men on a motorbike while walking outside their hostel.

The men allegedly restrained her, forced her to remove her clothes at gunpoint, filmed the incident and then proceeded to rape her.

The shocking incident sparked protests by students who took to the streets, demanding the arrest of the perpetrators and better safety measures on campus.

The accused trio was arrested two months after the incident. While Pandey and Chauhan have already been granted bail by the high court, Patel got bail on Monday.

The suspects allegedly have links to BJP’s IT cell.

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