New Delhi: A former Army man has been acquitted by a Delhi court of the charges of repeatedly raping his minor daughter for over two years as the girl`s statement was "unconvincing and untrustworthy”.
Additional Sessions Judge MC Gupta let off city resident Mohan Lal (name changed) of rape charges, saying she had "animus" against her father to falsely implicate him in the case.
"I am of considered opinion that as far as involvement of accused Lal...Is concerned, the same is not sufficiently established by the cogent and reliable evidence and in the ultimate analysis, the prosecution had not been able to bring home the guilt beyond shadows of all reasonable doubts and there is a room for hypothesis, consistent with that of innocence of accused," the judge said.
According to the prosecution, Lal had been sexually exploiting his 16-year-old daughter for over two years and had also threatened to kill her on disclosing it to anyone.
The girl had approached the police in June 2009 saying her father, who was earlier working with the Army, used to rape and abuse her and on protesting it, he used to beat her up, besides her mother and younger brother.
In her statement, she had said she had told about it to her mother, maternal grandmother and several neighbours, who had warned the accused to stay away from her.
The girl had also told the court that her alcoholic father also used to force her to watch obscene videos.
The court, however, acquitted the accused, saying the police had not arrayed as witness any of her neighbour and her relatives, to whom she had disclosed the alleged incidents of rape, assault and of being forced to watch obscene videos.
It also said that girl`s mother and brother had denied the sequence of events as alleged by her in her complaint and other statements.
During the trial of the case, Lal had denied all the allegations and had said he was falsely framed in the case.
"In such circumstances, it will be highly dangerous to rely on such version of the girl on order to support the case of the prosecution, as the version of the girl on the core spectrum of the crime failed to remain intact," it said.
PTI
