Two youths acquitted of charges of raping minor cousin in Delhi by Court

A Delhi court has acquitted two brothers of the charges of raping their minor cousin sister, saying the possibility of they being falsely implicated to settle a business rivalry between them and the girl's father cannot be ruled out.

Additional Sessions Judge Vikash Dhull let off the two south Delhi residents of charges committed under sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and IPC as neither the 17-year-old girl nor her parents testified that she had been raped by the two youths.

The court also said that since the alleged offence took place in the year 2010-2012 and the FIR was registered in September 2013, it makes the case "highly untrustworthy, unbelievable and open to manipulation and concoction." "In the light of non-explanation of such an inordinate delay, the prosecution case has become unreliable and untrustworthy and possibility of accused being falsely implicated to settle business rivalry going on between the father of child victim and the accused persons cannot be ruled out," the court said, noting that no explanation has been given by the prosecution for such an inordinate delay in getting the case registered.

It also noted that the girl had deposed that her signatures were obtained on blank papers by police and the statement given by her before a magistrate was on the behest of police officials and not voluntary.

She had also deposed that there was a business dispute between the youths and her father, the court noted.

The prosecution had alleged that one of the accused had raped her in 2010 after giving her an intoxicating substance in a soft drink, while the other accused had raped her in 2012.