Victim turned hostile to help actor Shiney Ahuja: Judge

The sessions court which recently sentenced actor Shiney Ahuja to seven years imprisonment in a rape case has held that the victim had ''purposefully'' turned hostile to help the accused and said action may be taken against her for giving false evidence.

"Stern action can be taken against the maid and a show cause notice issued to her as to why no action should be taken for having filed a false report," the judge observed while delivering the verdict on March 30.

In the 86-page judgment, a copy of which became available today, the court has mainly relied on the statement of the 20-year-old victim given before the magistrate although she had retracted it later in the court during the trial.

The court has also taken into account the results of the forensic tests, including DNA examination, while convicting Shiney.

Sessions judge P M Chouhan pointed out seven circumstantial evidences to nail the actor in the crime that include semen stains on bedsheet and a nail injury on the actor's arm indicating that force was used on the victim.

Ruling out consensual sex, the judge did not accept Shiney's defence that the maid was in love with him and had made several phone calls to him the night before the incident.