Four acquitted of rape as 'victim' turns hostile

Four youths, facing trial for allegedly gang raping a minor after forcibly making her drink liquor, were acquitted by a court here as the victim turned hostile.

Additional sessions judge Rajneesh Kumar Gupta let off Delhi residents Arjun, Ravi, Sunil and Naveen relying on the victim’s statement and medical report which did not link the four with the alleged rape.

“The prosecution witness, the girl, has turned hostile. She has not supported the case of the prosecution. There is also nothing in the forensic reports to link the accused persons with the alleged offence of rape,” the court said. “The prosecution has failed to prove its case against all four.”

The prosecution case dates back to November 2011, when the four were arrested on a complaint by the 17-year-old girl. She alleged that they had raped her at a secluded place of a parking lot at Udyog Nagar Metro station. She told police that on the fateful night, she had gone to Nangloi Market in west Delhi to buy food when one of the accused, known to her, met her and asked her to join him at his birthday. And took her to the parking lot. “They both sat at the Metro station parking area, where the other accused persons arrived and had beer together. She lost her consciousness,” said the prosecution. On waking up she found she had been gang  raped, it added.

‘Reconsider order’

 A trial court has been asked by the sessions court to reconsider its order for five days’ jail term to a man for drunken driving on his plea that he had pleaded guilty to the offence without consulting his advocate, PTI reports from New Delhi. In his appeal, North West Delhi resident Umeet Kumar, who had been sentenced to a fine of Rs 3,400 too, had contended that his guilt plea too was not recorded separately by the trial court.
Additional sessions judge Virender Kumar Goyal ordered reconsideration of the case after examining the summary trial register which did not specifically say that convict had pleaded guilty.