On 6th March, The Supreme Court acquitted Vinod Gupta in a rape case, emphasizing the accuser’s maturity and citing discrepancies in her statements. The court criticized the alleged abuse of legal processes and underscored the importance of evidence in consensual relationship cases.
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NEW DELHI: Yesterday( on 6th March), the Supreme Court of India has acquitted Vinod Gupta, a man previously accused of raping a woman under the pretense of marriage. The court’s decision was based on the assessment that the complainant, a married woman, was “mature enough to understand” the implications of her actions, thereby highlighting the importance of consent and the responsibilities of individuals in personal relationships.
The bench, comprising Justice C T Ravikumar and Rakesh Bindal, criticized the accuser for falsely implicating Gupta, emphasizing that the relationship between the two was “consensual.” The justices pointed out-
“It is not a case where the complainant was of an immature age who could not foresee her welfare and take the right decision. She was a grown lady, about 10 years elder to the appellant.”
This statement underscores the court’s stance on personal accountability and the understanding of consensual relationships.
The court further elaborated that the woman was-
“mature and intelligent enough to understand the consequences of the moral and immoral acts for which she consented during the subsistence of her earlier marriage. In fact, it was a case of betraying her husband.”
This remark from the bench sheds light on the complexities of personal relationships and the legal boundaries surrounding them.
During the proceedings, discrepancies were noted between the First Information Report (FIR) and the complainant’s statement recorded before the Magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), casting doubt on the credibility of the accusations. Advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey, representing Gupta, argued that the FIR was an “abuse of the legal process,” further complicating the case.
According to the FIR, the woman claimed she was managing her shop and living separately from her husband due to marital disputes, leading to their divorce in 2018. Gupta, who had approached her to rent the first floor of her house, eventually developed a physical relationship with her, under the promise of marriage post her divorce.
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However, the situation took a turn when Gupta allegedly retracted his proposal, citing his family’s disapproval, after the woman’s divorce was finalized. This led to the legal battle that ultimately culminated in the Supreme Court’s judgment.