Hyderabad: A rape survivor, who ran away from home after being lured by the prospect of marriage, did not deviate from her stand, giving evidence in court, even after the convict pursued her to withdraw her statements.
Even after her marriage to another person, the survivor along with her parents, travelled all the way from Nellore, her native place, to Hyderabad on multiple occasions for the court trial. As a result, the court on Monday gave a 20-year prison term to the convict in the case reported at Vanasthalipuram in 2018. The survivor is currently 23 and is married to another man.
During the trial, the convict, who was 22 at the time of the crime, claimed that the girl, then 17, went with him by her own consent and there was no force from his side. However, the court observed that “at the time of the crime, the girl was a minor, and the consent of a minor holds no legal value”.
The defence counsel cross-examined the girl extensively, but no substantial evidence emerged to undermine her testimony regarding the abduction and the sexual assault on her, said the court.
“In her testimony, the girl clearly explained how the convict abducted and married her, and subsequently had sexual intercourse with her multiple times under the guise of marriage. No inconsistencies or omissions were identified in her testimony, and it reveals a clear and consistent narrative with a strong ring of truth,” ruled the court, which also awarded her 3 lakh compensation.
According to police, the convict lured the survivor in the name of love when she was studying in Class 8.
The defence counsel cross-examined the girl extensively, but no substantial evidence emerged to undermine her testimony regarding the case
