False Rape Case | Why Did A Woman Willingly Go To A Hotel With A Stranger? Delhi Court Acquits Man As Evidence Fails

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has acquitted a man in a rape case after finding that the prosecution failed to prove the charges against him beyond reasonable doubt.

Additional Sessions Judge Sushil Anuj Tyagi, South-West District, Dwarka Courts, examined the complainant’s testimony, hotel records, bank transactions, call detail records and electronic evidence before reaching the decision.

According to the prosecution case, the complainant received a telephone call from an unknown number in October 2020. The caller knew her nickname and introduced himself. They remained in contact and later met in Bengaluru.

The complainant alleged that on December 24, 2020, the accused called her to a hotel in Dwarka and gave her a cold drink, following which she became unconscious. She alleged that when she regained consciousness, she found herself without clothes.

She further alleged that the accused showed her an objectionable video involving them and threatened to make it public. According to her allegations, he thereafter forced her into physical relations by using the alleged video as a threat.

She also accused him of demanding money and claimed that around Rs 1.5 lakh was transferred through GPay.

However, the FIR was registered at Dwarka South Police Station on May 8, 2021, more than four months after the alleged incident.

Appearing for the accused, Advocate Ravi Drall argued that the FIR was registered substantially late and that the prosecution had not satisfactorily explained the delay.

The defence also relied on hotel records. These showed that the accused and complainant stayed together at Jannat Residency Hotel from December 24 to December 26, 2020. They subsequently stayed at Imperial Hotel from December 26 to December 27.

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The court noted that the complainant had provided her identification documents at the hotel. No complaint was made to the hotel staff or police during the stay. The material before the court also showed that she continued to meet and communicate with the accused after the alleged incident.

The defence further relied on WhatsApp, Instagram and telephone communications between them.

Another important issue was the alleged objectionable video which, according to the complainant, had been used to blackmail her.

The court noted that no such video was recovered from the accused’s mobile phone during investigation. The complainant also did not provide her own mobile phone to the investigating officer and stated that it had been broken.

The defence also produced electronic conversations during trial. However, the defence placed only two conversations and their transcripts on record. The court found this material insufficient on its own to reach a conclusion about the alleged incident or blackmail.

The court also considered the settled legal position regarding conviction on the testimony of a prosecutrix. A conviction can be based on her sole testimony when that evidence inspires confidence. At the same time, the court must examine the evidence alongside the surrounding circumstances when the facts of a particular case require closer scrutiny.

In this case, the court considered the delay in the FIR, the complainant's subsequent conduct, hotel records, the absence of the alleged video, and limitations in the electronic evidence.

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After examining the evidence as a whole, the court held that the prosecution had failed to establish its case beyond reasonable doubt and acquitted the man of all charges, including rape, administering an intoxicating substance, extortion, criminal intimidation and destruction of evidence.

EXPLANATORY TABLE OF LAWS AND SECTIONS

CASE DETAILS

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• More than four months after the alleged incident, the man found himself facing a rape case and other grave criminal charges.
• The man faced prosecution even as hotel records showed the complainant stayed with him at two hotels, with her subsequent conduct and communications also examined.
• The alleged objectionable video said to have been used for blackmail was never recovered from the accused man’s phone.
• The man’s liberty could not be decided by an allegation alone, and the court examined the FIR delay, hotel records, communications and electronic evidence.
• After facing serious accusations and a criminal trial, the man was finally acquitted because the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. An accusation can put a man on trial, but it cannot prove him guilty.
• Grave Charges, Finally Acquitted: After facing a serious criminal trial, the man was acquitted as the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.