Rape victims suffer a tremendous sense of shame and fear of being shunned by society, a Delhi court said
A rape victim suffers a tremendous sense of shame and the fear of being shunned by the society, a Delhi court has said while sending a culprit to jail for seven years on rape charges.
Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain, while handing down the jail term to South Delhi resident Furkan Ahmad, relied on the victim's testimony and observed that a woman, who is subjected to sexual violence, would always be hesitant about disclosing her plight.
"We must realise that ordinarily a woman will not stake her reputation by levelling a false charge concerning her chastity. She suffers a tremendous sense of shame and the fear of being shunned by the society and her near relatives," the judge said.
The court said that an injured victim of a crime should be treated with compassion and understanding.
"Instead of treating her with understanding and compassion as one who is injured victim of a crime, she is, more often that not, treated as a sinner and shunned.
"It must therefore be realised that a woman who is subjected to sexual violence would always be slow and hesitant about disclosing her plight," it said, while convicting the man.
It also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on the convict and directed Delhi Legal Service Authority (DLSA) of the South- East district to provide appropriate compensation to the victim.
According to the prosecution, the woman was on her way home on the night of March 20, 2014, when the man suddenly pulled her into a room and sexually assaulted her.
When she resisted, a scuffle took place and she got injured but managed to escape. She immediately informed her husband, it said, adding that the police was informed and the accused arrested.
The accused had denied the allegations and claimed he was falsely implicated by the woman under pressure from her husband, who had found out about their illicit relationship.
The court, however, relied on the victim's testimony, saying "in the instant case, the evidence of the woman is of sterling quality. It is consistent and cogent. Her evidence has been corroborated in all material particulars by oral and scientific evidence."
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