Pocso court acquits man accused of raping minor | News from Goa

Panaji: Twelve years after a minor girl alleged that a man raped her after promising her marriage, a special court in Pocso has acquitted him. The judge said there was a delay in filing the complaint, which the woman did not explain.

The statements were also recorded late, 11 months after the complaint was first registered in 2012. The court also found that all the witnesses examined by the prosecution, except one, were related to the woman. The only unrelated witness, a Panch, was a friend of the minor and also of the investigating officer.

The court also found that the relatives’ statements were based on hearsay, the medical evidence was negative and the seat covers of the car in which the crime allegedly took place were not presented to the court.

The woman complained that the accused befriended her and raped her between 2012 and 2016 and promised to marry her. She said that he then started avoiding her and that she tried to end her life. She was admitted to the GMC and discharged on the third day. The court observed that the accused’s name was not mentioned on the discharge card and his name was also not mentioned on medical evidence.

The court also noted that the serological result was negative and that there was evidence that the woman is now married and has a child, while the accused is unmarried.

The court also noted that there was a dispute between the accused’s brother-in-law and the woman’s father, who are cousins. “Moreover, the absence of a forensic report on the seat covers raises doubts on the prosecution’s narrative as to whether the accused was really involved in the said crime,” said Chairman of Fast Track Special Court (Pocso), Panaji, Durga V Madkaikar.