The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has overturned a man’s conviction for rape that occurred 26 years ago. The court ordered his immediate release from prison after a review of the case found the survivor’s testimony to be unreliable. The court questioned the credibility of the survivor as she was deemed a consenting party. The absence of evidence regarding her age beyond the medical report was also highlighted, as the age of consent for sexual intercourse was 16 at the time. The case dates back to 1997 when the accused, Lalla, was charged with rape after allegedly abducting the girl. The court noted that the survivor was found 13 days after she was reported missing and did not raise any alarm. The medical examination report also had no corroborative material regarding rape. The court relied on the statements of two witnesses and the survivor’s father, who confirmed that she willingly took away some jewelry and cash. The survivor’s changing statements and the medical report favored the appellant, leading to his acquittal.
The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court has overturned a man’s conviction for rape that occurred 26 years ago. The court ordered his immediate release from prison after finding that the survivor’s testimony was unreliable and lacked credibility. The court highlighted the absence of evidence regarding the survivor’s age and stated that she was a consenting party. The case dates back to 1997 when the accused abducted the girl and was subsequently charged with rape. The court pointed out that the survivor did not raise any alarm during the 13 days she was missing and that there was no corroborative evidence of rape in the medical examination report. The court also considered the statement of two witnesses and the survivor’s father, who confirmed that she willingly left home with some valuables and cash. Based on these factors, the court concluded that the survivor’s credibility was questionable and ordered the man’s release from prison.
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Man convicted of rape is freed by Allahabad high court 23 years later
