Maharashtra Court Acquits Man Accused Of Raping Stepdaughter

A district court has acquitted a 31-year-old man accused of raping his 13-year-old stepdaughter in Maharashtra's Thane district.

In his order on January 31, special POCSO judge S P Gondhalekar held that the prosecution has failed to prove the charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) levelled against the accused.

The prosecutor informed the court that the accused married the victim's mother in West Bengal and the couple had moved to Reti Bunder at Mumbra town.

The accused would allegedly repeatedly rape the victim in the absence of her mother, who worked as a maid and threatened her with dire consequences, the court was told.

In March 2016, the victim was found to be six months pregnant and was placed in the care of an acquaintance, following which a complaint was filed with the police.

In his order, the judge stated, "For want of DNA report, it cannot be said that the accused is the biological father of the child born to the victim."

The court also observed that the victim had told the medical officer that she had been forced into prostitution by her stepfather, and hence there is a possibility that she was sexually assaulted by other men.