The Supreme Court acquitted two rape convicts, calling the prosecution’s version unreliable. The court found major gaps and raised serious doubts about the evidence.
New Delhi: On April 30, 2025, The Supreme Court of India has acquitted two men who were earlier convicted in a rape case. The top court found the prosecution’s story unclear and doubtful, saying it raised serious suspicion and did not seem believable. The case dates back to June 2000, when four men were accused of abducting and raping two women who were on their way to Kurla in Mumbai.
The accused had challenged the Bombay High Court’s decision from July 2024, which had upheld their conviction by a trial court in July 2003.
While two of the accused were only convicted for abduction and later acquitted by the High Court, the other two remained convicted for both abduction and rape until the Supreme Court gave its decision.
The bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K Vinod Chandran referred to an earlier judgment by the Supreme Court which warned courts to be cautious about false rape accusations.
The bench observed that while rape is one of the most serious crimes causing deep distress to victims, false allegations can cause severe harm to the accused as well.
The court said,
“We find difficulty in accepting their testimony to be one having sterling quality. We cannot also say that the story as narrated by the victims inspires confidence. Looking for assurance, we find the entire narration to be unbelievable and not substantiated on its finer details.”
The court further emphasized that every court must remain equally alert to protect an innocent person from being falsely implicated in a serious crime like rape.
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It said,
“The story put up by the prosecution, as spoken of by prosecution witnesses (alleged victims), is full of holes and it raises a grave suspicion in our minds which qualifies as reasonable doubt.”
The entire case had heavily relied on the statement of a witness who claimed to have seen the two women with a child inside a tempo (a small transport vehicle) along with the four accused. However, the court noted that the witness had not clearly identified either of the two main accused in the tempo.
The bench pointed this out by saying,
“Strangely”, the witness did not identify either of the accused as having travelled in the tempo.
The prosecution had said that the women boarded a tempo to Kurla in which the accused were travelling. It alleged that the accused refused to stop the tempo at Kurla and instead drove the women to a field where two of the men raped them.
But after closely reviewing the statements and facts, the Supreme Court was not satisfied. The judges observed that the witness testimonies were not strong enough and had many inconsistencies.
As a result, the Supreme Court allowed the appeal filed by the two accused and set aside both the High Court and trial court judgments. The top court ordered that the two men be released immediately if they were not involved in any other pending criminal cases.
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The ruling sends a strong message about the importance of a fair trial and the need to protect innocent persons from wrongful conviction. While it does not downplay the seriousness of rape as a crime, the verdict highlights that the legal process must always be based on strong, trustworthy evidence.
This judgment once again reminds everyone involved in the justice system — from police to prosecutors to judges — that justice must not only be done but also seen to be done, with care given to avoid any miscarriage of justice.
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