A Delhi court has set free a man accused of sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl at a crematorium, as the victim and her mother refused to support the prosecution’s case.
The victim had in her complaint and the statement recorded by a Metropolitan Magistrate said she was playing outside her house when the accused, who was her neighbour, took her to a crematorium on the pretext that food was being distributed there.
Once at the crematorium, he allegedly removed her lower garments but she managed to escape and revealed the incident to her mother.
However, the victim backed out in her evidence during trial.
“The accused had not committed any wrong act with her. She was cross-examined by the Additional Public Prosecutor but denied the suggestion that the accused had taken her to the crematorium on the pretext of a bhandara or that he had removed her lower garments,” Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Garg said, referring to the evidence of the victim.
The girl’s mother said, “The accused has not done anything wrong with my daughter and the present FIR was registered against him due to some misunderstanding.”
“In the light of the above discussion, the prosecution has miserably failed to prove its case against the accused. Accordingly, the accused, Vijay, is acquitted of the charge for the commission of offence punishable under Section 363 [kidnapping] IPC and Section 10 read with Section 9 [m] of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences,” Mr. Garg said acquitting the accused.
