Accused of rape, doctor acquitted

Accused had denied allegations and had claimed that he was being falsely implicated

A Delhi court on Monday acquitted a doctor accused of sexually assaulting a woman patient at his private clinic last year as the victim turned hostile during trial.

In her evidence, the woman said she could not identify the doctor and say if his name was Ravi Shankar Sharma. She also denied that the doctor had intercourse with her. Claiming that she had not given a statement to the Magistrate voluntarily, the woman alleged she had done it only after an NGO counsel asked her to do so.

Material contradictions

“Looking into the circumstances and the testimony of the prosecutrix, prosecution case cannot be said to be free of suspicion. There are material contradictions in the testimony of the prosecutrix which go to the root of the case and create doubt on the veracity of the case,” Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain said while acquitting the accused.

According to the prosecution, the woman had alleged the doctor had taken her to his cabin and raped her.

He had also threatened to upload the video of the incident on the Internet if she dared to complain against him. The woman had visited him for treatment of pain in the abdomen.