New DelhiThe man was arrested in February. (Representative photo)The Delhi High Court has denied bail to a man accused of sexually abusing his 17-year-old biological daughter since she was about six years old, holding that the allegations showed a sustained pattern of conduct over the years by someone who had influence and control over the victim.While the accused claimed his interactions with his daughter were normal interactions between father and daughter and alleged the case was instigated due to strained matrimonial relations between him and his wife, the Delhi Police cited that the psychological conditions suffered by the victim painted a picture of trauma.A bench of justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, in her verdict released last month, said, “This court notes that prima facie, the allegations disclose a continuing course of conduct over the years and not a single incident alone. It is also a relevant circumstance that the applicant is the biological father of the victim, who, at the relevant time, was a child of tender age and under his influence and control.”The accused is facing charges under sections 376 (rape), 354 (assault or criminal force against woman), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, Section 75 (sexual harassment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sections 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) and 12 (sexual harassment of child) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act in an FIR registered by his daughter.The victim alleged that she was repeatedly abused and threatened against disclosing the same since she was about six years old. She alleged that the abuse continued even when her mother was at home and that the father took steps to conceal evidence. She said she suffered psychological trauma, inflicted self-harm and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociative identity disorder (DID).The victim lodged a complaint after an alleged episode of abuse in January, following which the man was arrested in February.In his petition before the high court, the man, represented through advocate Monesh Kumar Sharma, maintained that he was innocent and contended that the criminal proceedings were a consequence of the ongoing discord with his wife.Opposing the bail plea, the Delhi Police, represented by additional public prosecutor Naresh Kumar Chahar, argued that the victim’s diagnoses of PTSD and DID were consistent with the trauma resulting from sustained sexual abuse.