A man, accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, has been acquitted by a Delhi court after the minor said they were in love and she voluntarily eloped with him.
Additional Sessions Judge Renu Bhatnagar acquitted the man from Uttarakhand.
“Since the girl has refused that the accused had taken her or made physical relations with her, it is futile to record the statement of the remaining one witness as he is not an eyewitness. The other witness number 4 (mother of the girl) is also hostile,” the court said.
According to the prosecution, a complaint was lodged by the girl’s father, a Delhi resident, alleging that on the intervening night of July 21-22, 2014, his daughter went missing while the family members were asleep.
He informed the police the next day, and she was found a few days later with the accused in Dehradun.
However, after the girl was found, her father refused to pursue the case or take action against the accused, the court noted.
During the trial, the accused denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty. — PTI
