Youth accused of abducting and raping minor acquitted by court

A youth accused of abducting and raping a minor girl, with whom he later got married, has been acquitted by a Delhi court on the ground that she eloped "on her own wish" and was a "consenting party".
Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat let off Uttar Pradesh resident Hardyal observing that the alleged victim in her testimony has nowhere stated that she was allured by the accused and instead they love each other.
"The prosecutrix has not deposed anything against accused Hardyal. It is apparent from her testimony that she was in love with the accused, they both wanted to marry each other and she voluntarily eloped with him.

"There is nothing in her testimony that he had offered any allurement to her or had enticed her away. He did not employ any force, fraud or deceit upon her," the court said.
As per the prosecution, the girl's father had lodged a complaint that in September 2012 his 14-year-old daughter had left the house without telling anybody.
He had further told the police that her daughter had been kidnapped by the accused.

The girl, however, has deposed before the court that she was in love with Hardyal and wanted to marry him but her parents were not in favour of this marriage. Hence the duo had decided to run away and solemnize marriage.

Taking note of the girl's statement, the court observed that Hardyal is innocent and has been falsely implicated in this case.
"She (girl) has specifically deposed in her testimony that he had neither kidnapped her nor committed rape upon her and infact she on her own wish had accompanied Hardyal to Siwan, Bihar and married him and was a consenting party to sexual intercourse with accused," the court noted.