Court raps cops for plea to withdraw rape case

A city court has pulled up the police for seeking withdrawal of a rape case lodged against a man by his landlady, citing “public interest”, HT reports.

A city court has pulled up the police for seeking withdrawal of a rape case lodged against a man by his landlady, citing “public interest”. The move comes at a time when the Capital is witnessing protests against the brutal gangrape of a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus on Sunday.

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Directing the Delhi chief secretary to conduct an inquiry into who recommended the withdrawal, additional sessions judge Savita Rao criticised the prosecution. “With the withdrawal of the case, a wrong message will be conveyed to the society, whereby public good itself will be compromised and thwarted,” the court said.

On allegations that accused Tarkeshwar Yadav had tried to rape his landlady and Shivaji and Vidya Sagar had robbed her, the police had chargesheeted them under sections 376, 511, 354 and 506.

It was alleged that the three had also beaten up the victim and her sons who came to rescue her.

Seeking withdrawal of the case, the prosecution told the court that no offence under sections 376 and 511 of the IPC was made out "after being satisfied that public interest would be served by withdrawal of the case from prosecution."

The police had claimed that crime took place after a dispute broke out between the tenants and the landlady. The defence counsel had argued that their clients had been falsely implicated.