A Delhi court on Thursday acquitted Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal in a case alleging she unlawfully revealed the identity of a 14-year-old rape victim who later died from her injuries.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal pronounced the acquittal. A detailed judgment is awaited.
The case dates back to 2016, when Maliwal was chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW). Delhi Police had booked her under provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, which prohibits disclosure of the identity of minors subjected to sexual offences.
According to police, the minor girl died on July 23, 2016, after being sexually assaulted by her neighbour, who allegedly forced a corrosive substance down her throat, severely damaging her internal organs.
Investigators alleged that Maliwal circulated a notice she had sent to the area Deputy Commissioner of Police seeking details about the investigation. The notice, which reportedly named the victim, was also shared with print and electronic media.
The FIR claimed that the document was “intentionally circulated” in various WhatsApp groups and subsequently broadcast by television channels.
