The Karkardooma Court in Delhi has acquitted an army official accused of raping a woman under the pretext of marriage, citing insufficient evidence and questioning the credibility of the complainant’s testimony.
The case, which has been under judicial scrutiny since an FIR was registered in October 2015 at Pandav Nagar Police Station, concluded with Judge Gajendra Singh Nagar’s ruling. The judge stated, “This court is of the opinion that the prosecution has failed to prove the allegations against the accused beyond reasonable doubt.”
The allegations stemmed from an arrangement known as ‘Roka’, a pre-engagement ceremony, supposedly fixed by their parents in 2012. The complainant claimed that the accused, then stationed in Ladakh, visited her in Delhi in February 2014, engaged in physical relations promising marriage, and later took her to Manali where they stayed together for several days.
However, the defense highlighted inconsistencies in the complainant’s account, including her inability to recall the exact date of the Roka or provide photographic evidence of the event. The defense argued that the visit to Manali was consensual, undermining the accusation that the physical relationship was established under false pretenses.
The court observed, “It is established principle of evaluation of evidence that a man may lie, but circumstances do not. In the present matter, the entire circumstances of the case are in contradiction of the version of the prosecutrix.” Further, it was noted that the complainant’s testimony did not appear trustworthy or of sufficient quality to inspire confidence.
Judge Nagar elaborated that the accused did not engage in any physical relations against the will and consent of the prosecutrix, who was a willing participant in the acts. “From these facts, it is apparent that no offence of rape is committed with her and she wanted to be with the accused, however due to certain circumstances their relationship did not fructify,” the judge added.
