Man accused of raping his factory employee acquitted

A married man accused of raping a girl for over three years at his factory on assurance of marrying her has been acquitted by a Delhi court due to doubtful prosecution evidence against him.

Additional Sessions Judge Narinder Kumar let off Delhi resident Anshul Verma, engaged in running his father's factory which manufactured jewellery boxes, of the charges of raping the 23-year-old girl who worked there as a labourer.

"This court finds merit in the contention raised by the defence counsel that the prosecution has not been able to substantiate accusation levelled against the accused (Verma) beyond the shadow of doubt.

"Accordingly, extending the benefit of doubt, the accused is acquitted of the charges against him," the court said.

The police had arrested Verma on girl's complaint lodged on May 30, 2010 with the Pahar Ganj police station in Central Delhi, alleging that Verma had raped her at his factory.

She told the police that he had been subjecting her to sexual assault since 2007, promising to marry her one day.

The victim, employed as a labourer with the factory since 2005, had told the police that Verma had allegedly raped her in 2007 and when she had threatened to lodge a case against him, he had promised to marry her and had asked her to keep quite about the incident.

Defending Verma, his counsel told the court that his client had been falsely implicated as the girl had registered the case only in May 2010, while telling the police that she was first raped in 2007.

"The prosecution has failed to explain the delay of three years in lodging of the FIR," the counsel had said.

The counsel further told the court that the factory was being run by Verma's father, while his client was staying abroad in Korea and used to visit India only for short periods.

... contd.

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