Man acquitted of rape charges

A man accused of raping his maid has been acquitted by a Delhi court which said government should frame guidelines for regulating agencies supplying domestic help to curb registration of such false cases.

New Delhi: A man accused of raping his maid has been acquitted by a Delhi court which said government should frame guidelines for regulating agencies supplying domestic help to curb registration of such false cases.

The court said there were major contradictions in the prosecution story which made it "unbelievable and improbable" and the evidence proved that the 18-year-old girl had levelled false allegations of rape against the accused.

Additional Sessions Judge Nivedita Anil Sharma acquitted Delhi resident Parmod Kamlani, saying that it is a "living example" of a placement agency maid raising false rape and threat allegations against her employer only to "achieve her selfish ends of extorting money".

"Considering the crying need of the day, it is required that some regulatory law or policy is made by the government and police so that there can be check on placement agencies and it is made compulsory that police verification of the maids and servants is done before they take up employment.

"In my considered view, it is time that we as a civil society stand up not to only protect, shelter and rehabilitate a victim of rape but also to protect and shelter an accused against whom false allegations of rape have been levelled," the judge said.

The court said copy of the order be sent to secretaries of Ministry of Law and Justice of the Centre and the Delhi Government, chairpersons of National Commission for Women and Delhi Commission for Women and Commissioner and additional commissioner (West) of Delhi Police for information purpose.

According to police, the maid, who was hired through a placement agency, was allegedly raped by her employer twice in his house between January to March 2012 and she was threatened not to disclose it and was also beaten by him.

She was raped by Kamlani when she was doing her work in the house and his wife was not at home and his children were sleeping, the police said. She reported the matter to the police after two-three months.

PTI

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