Maharashtra: POCSO court acquits man accused of raping, impregnating stepsister

Thane: A special POCSO court in Thane acquitted a man accused of raping and impregnating his minor stepsister after the victim turned hostile and a DNA test established he was not the father of the child she delivered later.

Special Judge Ruby U Malvankar acquitted the man, who was 20 at the time of the alleged incident, of Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act charges related to aggravated rape, causing hurt by means of poison, or any stupefying, intoxicating, or unwholesome drug/substance with the intent to commit offence, among others.

As per the prosecution, the man gave his then 14-year-old stepsister a spiked soft drink and committed sexual assault in December 2023, leading to her getting pregnant and delivering a child in September 2024.

During the trial, the victim denied that the accused had administered any intoxicating substance or committed sexual assault, adding that she implicated him "out of fear." Concluding the prosecution had failed to prove the victim was a "child" as per the legal definition (due to conflicting age reports) or that the accused committed the crime, the court, in its order of April 17, ordered his immediate acquittal.