In-a-one-of-its-kind rape case where both the accused and the prosecutrix are visually-challenged, a local court here on Tuesday convicted the 35-year-old man for raping the woman on several occasions on the pretext of marriage.
Technical evidence
Holding the man guilty of rape, Additional Sessions Judge, Special Court for Women and Children, Rajni Yadav accepted the identification of the accused with his voice and also relied on technical evidence with call details of the duo corroborating the statement of the prosecutrix.
The 34-year-old woman, a resident of Jawala Puri, had lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police in November 2015 alleging that a trainee Probation Officer had allegedly taken her to a guest house in Gurugram on May 30 and raped her.
Husband’s suicide
The woman’s husband had committed suicide on July 2014 and she was looking for a counsel to fight a case pertaining to abetment to suicide against one Anil Verma, when she came in contact with Sourabh Kapoor through a relative.
Sourabh asked the woman, who has a 10-year-old daughter, to accompany him to Gurugram to meet a counsel. He took her to a guest house instead.
Sourabh allegedly forced himself on her and consoled her with a promise to marry her. Sourabh allegedly raped the woman on several occasions thereafter, and also sought cash and valuables from her.
Contact number
When the woman refused to fulfil his demands, he broke all ties with her and also changed his contact number. Since the incident took place in Gurugram, the case was later transferred to City Police Station in Gurugram.
Public Prosecutor Arvind Sharma, who referred to several Supreme Court and High Court orders to the court to drive home his point, said the case was unique in several ways.
Mr. Sharma claimed that though most cases where rape was said to be committed on the false promise of marriage resulted in acquittal, the court in this case took into consideration the special circumstances and held the accused guilty.
Woman’s circumstances
“In view of the physical condition and the circumstances of the complainant, the court found merit in the argument that her consent was not free from coercion and misrepresentation. The prosecutrix was a widow and was blind, and so was in need of an emotional and financial support. Since the accused was also visually-challenged, she trusted him and agreed to his demands forced by her circumstances,” he said. The court has fixed July 24 for the quantum of sentence.