'Treat rape victims with compassion, understanding'

Taking stock of the ordeal suffered by rape victims, a Delhi court – relying on the testimony of a rape victim – sentenced the culprit for seven years in jail.

The court has also directed the Delhi Legal Service Authority (DLSA) of the South East district to provide appropriate compensation to the victim.

"A rape victim suffers tremendous sense of shame and the fear of being shunned by the society," Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain observed, while handing down the jail term to South Delhi resident Furkan Ahmad.

The judge announced the sentence based 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 than 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," the judge observed, while convicting the man under Section 376 (Rape) of the IPC. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on the convict.

According to the prosecution, the woman was on her way home on the night of March 20, 2014, when Ahmad suddenly grabbed her, draggged her to 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, in his defence, had denied the allegations and claimed he was falsely implicated by the woman after she was put under pressure from her husband.

He made the claims alleging that he was in a relationship with the woman and her husband had found out about their illicit relationship.

The court, however, relied on the victim's testimony. Further, the court had substantiated this by saying that the evidence was "consistent and cogent".

"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," the judge said.