New Delhi: Amid the widespread outrage over the gangrape of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus, a local court has pulled up the Delhi Police for seeking withdrawal "in public interest" a case of rape, lodged against a man by his landlady.
Lambasting the prosecution for its plea to withdraw the case, Additional Sessions Judge Savita Rao ordered Delhi Chief Secretary to ascertain as to who recommended the withdrawal.
Accused Tarkeshwar Yadav and others had been chargesheeted by the police under section 376 (rape), 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life), 354 (criminal assault on woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on allegation that Yadav had attempted to rape his landlady whereas accused Shivaji and Vidya Sagar had robbed her.
During their attempt to rape the woman, the accused had also beaten up the victim and her sons who came to her rescue when she raised the alarm. The prosecution, however, later told the court that no offence under section 376 and 511 IPC is made out and sought to withdraw the case "after being satisfied that the public interest will be served by withdrawal of the case from prosecution."
The judge, however, observed, "The prosecution has failed to answer as to which public good will be served by withdrawal of the prosecution...Rather with the withdrawal of the prosecution, a wrong message would definitely be conveyed to the society whereby public good itself would be compromised and thwarted."
"The chief secretary, Delhi is hereby called upon to hold a proper and discreet inquiry under intimation of this court and to take steps against anyone, whosoever it may be, who recommended this withdrawal," the ASJ said.
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