Delhi court acquits man accused of kidnapping and raping neighbour

A Delhi court today acquitted a man, accused of kidnapping, marrying and raping his neighbour, saying she was not a minor and gave "different" statements about the incident.

"The evidence of the girl when read as a whole, is full of contradictions and discrepancies and does not inspire confidence. The gaps in evidence and the entirely different versions of incident makes the case highly doubtful," additional sessions judge Arun Kumar Arya said.

The court absolved Sachin alias Bittoo, a resident of Badarpur here, of kidnapping and rape charges for want of evidence.

"Perusal of statements of the girl reveals that she has given three different versions of the incident and her conduct becomes highly doubtful," it said.

The 16-year-old girl was kidnapped on July 1, 2005 and was raped for a week after she was forced to marry the accused, the police had said in the charge sheet.

Earlier, she told police that Sachin had raped her several times on the pretext of marriage, but the girl gave him a clean chit while testifying before a magistrate saying they loved each other, the court said in its judgement.

The girl again did a U-turn while testifying during the trial saying she became unconscious after being forced to smell a cloth and the accused later raped her in confinement, it said.

"The statements of the girl show that she was the consenting party from the beginning till her recovery...she stayed with the accused fro a week and married him in a temple in the presence of the priest.

"But she did not raise a hue and cry or protest and she did not complain about her forceful marriage which show that she was consenting all the times," the court said.

It also considered the medical evidence, suggesting that there was a consensual physical relation and the girl was major at the time of alleged incident.

The court, however, said that an accused can be held guilty for rape on the sole testimony of the victim if the same inspires confidence.