Court acquits man of charges of kidnapping and raping girl

A Delhi court has acquitted a man of charges of kidnapping and raping a girl after she turned hostile and said she lodged the complaint due to some misunderstanding between her and the accused.
Additional Sessions Judge Sanjeev Jain let off the man, a south Delhi resident, after noting that the girl, who was the main witness, did not support the case and thus there was no purpose in proceeding with the other witnesses.
"Considering the testimony of PW 1 (girl), who has categorically stated that she was never kidnapped nor was compelled to marry with the accused nor the accused forced her for illicit intercourse, I am of the view that prosecution case is not proved against the accused under section 366 (kidnapping woman for compelling her for marriage), 376 (rape) IPC," the judge said.

The court passed the order after noting that in her deposition before it, she submitted that she married the accused with her own consent but her parents did not approve of it and the complaint was registered due to some misunderstanding between her and the accused.
According to the prosecution, the girl had earlier told in her complaint that in April 2011, the accused kidnapped her and took her to his room and raped her.
She claimed that she was kept locked in his room and the accused forced her to give her consent for marriage by threatening to kill her family.

Later, he married her at an Arya Samaj Mandir, she said adding that in August 2012, she escaped and on her complaint a case was registered at the Kalkaji police station here in this matter and the accused was arrested.
Charges were framed against the accused for offence punishable under section 366 and 376 of IPC to which he pleaded not guilty and claimed trial.