Chhawla rape-murder: Delhi govt to file review plea against acquittal of 3 men

The Supreme Court on November 7 acquitted Rahul, Ravi, and Vinod, citing glaring lapses in the investigation and trial of the case, which led to doubts in the minds of the top court judges

Delhi lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has given the go-ahead for a review petition against the Supreme Court’s acquittal of the three men sentenced to death over the rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman at Chhawla in West Delhi in February 2012, an official said on Monday. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta and additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati will represent the Delhi government in the matter.

A three-judge bench referred to the totality of circumstances and the evidence on record and said it is difficult to hold the prosecution proved the guilt of the accused by “adducing cogent and clinching evidence”. (ANI)

The Supreme Court on November 7 acquitted Rahul, Ravi, and Vinod, citing glaring lapses in the investigation and trial of the case, which led to doubts in the minds of the top court judges. A three-judge bench referred to the totality of circumstances and the evidence on record and said it is difficult to hold the prosecution proved the guilt of the accused by “adducing cogent and clinching evidence.”

The acquittal provoked outrage. The woman’s parents said they have lost faith in the judiciary after fighting in courts for over 10 years in the hope of justice. They sought police protection after two of the three men were released.

The 19-year-old was from Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district and worked with a private firm in Gurugram’s Cyber City. She was walking back home at Chhawla Camp after getting off a bus at Qutub Vihar when she was waylaid and abducted in a car. The woman’s body was found in a field at Rodhai village in Haryana’s Rewari district days later, with multiple injuries and burn marks. She was attacked with car tools, glass bottles, and sharp metal objects.

The three were convicted and awarded the death sentence for the rape and murder in February 2014. The Delhi high court upheld the judgment of a trial court in August 2014, citing the manner in which the body was mutilated before and after the woman was kidnapped and raped. The high court called to the three “trained bloodhounds picking out a scent”.