Delhi court acquits Indian Navy official in rape case

PTI, Feb 11, 2022, 1:42 PM IST

ADelhi court has acquitted an officer working with Indian Navy in a rape case, citing different versions of the incident narrated by the alleged victim.

Additional Sessions Judge Ankur Jain granted benefit of doubt to the Lt Commander after noting that at three different stages, three different versions were given by the woman who had accused him of rape.

“At three different stages, different versions are given by the prosecutrix. Testimony of witnesses are bound to have contradictions, improvements and discrepancies. Every contradiction, improvements and discrepancies is not material but here in the present case, prosecutrix has given three different versions regarding the presence of her brother,” the judge noted.

It appears that present complaint was made to pressurise the accused to enter into matrimonial alliance, and succumbing to the pressure at the time of hearing of the bail application, accused had married the woman which is reflected from the bail order and the photographs placed on record, the judge said.

The court further noted that the alliance did not survive and ultimately they divorced.

“It is also quite unnatural that the victim did not tell anything to her mother just after the incident or even thereafter and waited for about two days till the time marriage was called off by the mother of accused.

”Thus, benefit of doubt has to go to the accused and he is acquitted for the offence charged with,” the court said in it’s order passed on February 6.

Appearing for the accused, advocate Ravi Drall told the court that the relationship between the complainant and the accused was consensual in nature.

According to the complainant, she got engaged to the accused in 2015 with the permission of family members.

She alleged that the accused and his family members were invited in a religious function at her uncle’s house where she was raped.