Rajkot: A Special POCSO Court in Morbi has acquitted a 26-year-old man of all kidnapping and rape charges after the prosecution failed to prove its case and key witnesses, including the victim herself, turned hostile during the trial.According to the initial police complaint, the prosecution alleged that between August 9 and 10, 2020, the accused lured a 16-year-old girl working at a ceramic factory, abducted her under the pretext of marriage, and repeatedly established a physical relationship with her after taking her to his hometown in Rajasthan.However, the case fell apart during the trial when the victim, her parents, and her brother denied the prosecution’s allegations while testifying under oath. The victim testified that she had left her home entirely of her own volition, without any coercion or abduction by the accused. She further informed the court that she lived with the accused as husband and wife, and that they even had a child together during their marriage. She firmly maintained that no physical relationship was ever established against her will. There is no registration of birth and she admitted that she was 19 when she got married with the accused.Additionally, the court noted that the prosecution failed to conclusively prove the victim was a minor at the time of the alleged offence. Evidence regarding her exact birth date was deemed unreliable, and her family members could not provide specific details to confirm her age at the time of the event. Furthermore, the medical evidence did not support the prosecution’s case, with the examining doctors confirming there were no signs of physical force or violence used against the girl.The special judge K R Pandya in his order dated July 7 stated that the prosecution had failed to establish the guilt of the accused beyond a reasonable doubt. The court acquitted the accused.
