Hyderabad: In spite of numerous challenges in her fight for justice, an 11-year-old rape survivor stood firm as she recounted the abuse she faced at the hands of her stepfather. All through the trial, the girl, who is currently under the care of Telangana police’s Bharosa care centre at Hyderabad, had to endure tough cross examination.
The convict, who had earlier worked as a cab driver, claimed that the survivor had falsely implicated him at the instance of her mother, so that he would marry her. The court, however, supported the survivor saying if that was the case, her mother could not have become hostile. “She (mother) is not supporting the case. So, there was no influence of her on the survivor,” observed the court.
Even if she gave a false testimony against the convict, given her tender age it would not have been difficult to extract the truth during her cross examination, but her testimony is unshaken, appears to be trustworthy and can be acted upon, ruled the court.
The convict also claimed that they stayed in one room in a densely populated area of Hyderabad and in the adjacent room another family resided. According to him, it was difficult to rape a girl in such a situation. But the court found that rape was committed in a secret manner and even if committed in a densely populated area, it would be in an isolated place in between four walls.
The convict claimed that the survivor through her mother filed a false case to get a share in the property, but the court found that there was no evidence to show that the case was false.
Police officials said after the FIR was registered and the girl was shifted to the Bharosa centre, it took more than three days for her to become coherent and narrate her ordeal. The mother, meanwhile, started making multiple attempts to seek the girl’s custody and take her home, even as she returned to stay with the convict. The attempts were foiled by the police, who stood by the girl. Attempts to persuade the survivor to withdraw her statements were also successfully foiled by the cops.
The convict, who had earlier worked as a cab driver, claimed that the survivor had falsely implicated him at the instance of her mother, so that he would marry her. The court, however, supported the survivor saying if that was the case, her mother could not have become hostile. “She (mother) is not supporting the case. So, there was no influence of her on the survivor,” observed the court.
Even if she gave a false testimony against the convict, given her tender age it would not have been difficult to extract the truth during her cross examination, but her testimony is unshaken, appears to be trustworthy and can be acted upon, ruled the court.
The convict also claimed that they stayed in one room in a densely populated area of Hyderabad and in the adjacent room another family resided. According to him, it was difficult to rape a girl in such a situation. But the court found that rape was committed in a secret manner and even if committed in a densely populated area, it would be in an isolated place in between four walls.
The convict claimed that the survivor through her mother filed a false case to get a share in the property, but the court found that there was no evidence to show that the case was false.
Police officials said after the FIR was registered and the girl was shifted to the Bharosa centre, it took more than three days for her to become coherent and narrate her ordeal. The mother, meanwhile, started making multiple attempts to seek the girl’s custody and take her home, even as she returned to stay with the convict. The attempts were foiled by the police, who stood by the girl. Attempts to persuade the survivor to withdraw her statements were also successfully foiled by the cops.
