Cops told to verify people who are given charge of rape victims

A city court has directed the Delhi Police chief to ensure that a rape victim is not handed over to the custody of someone of dubious antecedent.

A city court has directed the Delhi Police chief to ensure that a rape victim is not handed over to the custody of someone of dubious antecedent. Additional sessions judge Kamini Lau also asked him to verify the antecedents of that person before giving them the charge of these victims.

The court's direction came in a rape case in which the victim was allowed to go with one Bhanu Pratap, who owned a placement agency. Pratap had claimed that his organisation was a civil society group to help tribal girls. The police allowed the girl to go with him after she refused to go with her parents and expressed willingness to go with him.

The court summons for her presence in the ongoing trial, however, could not be served to her as Pratap said that she had returned to her native place. Later, the court found out that Pratap too was involved in a few rape cases.

"This is an aspect which requires to be highlighted... so that due care is taken in future to ensure that the antecedents and criminal background of the complainants and 'superdars', to whom the victims of sexual abuse are handed over... are checked and verified before the release of the said victims to them," Lau said.