New Delhi

Man gets seven years’ RI for raping tenant

New Delhi: A Delhi court has sentenced a man to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment for raping his tenant, upholding the victim’s testimony as “cogent and convincing.”

“The deposition of the woman (victim) is cogent, convincing and reliable. I also reiterate that I have been unable to find any circumstances in her deposition, which could call upon the court to disbelieve her testimony or to look for corroboration from an independent source,” Additional Sessions Judge Bharat Parashar said.

Besides the prison term, the court also imposed a fine of Rs.5,000 on convict Satender, a resident of Rohini in north-west Delhi, after holding him guilty for rape under Section 376 of the IPC.

The court rejected the convict’s plea that he had been implicated as the woman and her husband had failed to pay their house rent to him. He also claimed that the prosecution could rope in any independent public witness to corroborate the allegation.

“The public and independent witnesses are usually reluctant in joining proceedings with the police involving others and that too when the matter involved two neighbours,” the court said, adding the accused also failed to substantiate his contention for the victim’s failure to pay rents.

The court, however, said he had failed to cross-examine the woman on this point at the time of recording evidence and referred to the medical report to hold him guilty in the case. - PTI

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