Shillong: The Supreme Court overturned a 10-year prison sentence on Friday for a man convicted of sexually assaulting a minor in 2015. Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta tossed out the rulings from both the Meghalaya High Court and the trial court. The judges cleared the East Jaintia Hills resident of all charges, ordering his immediate release.
The incident allegedly took place in May 2015 at the girl's residence. The victim, who lives with a 40 percent intellectual disability, reportedly told her cousin about the attack. That cousin then alerted the girl's mother. The mother chose not to file a complaint at the time because the girl failed to confirm the story when asked directly. An FIR surfaced only later.
Evidence proved too weak. The court pointed to the mother's strange behavior and the long delay in reporting the crime. Confusion regarding the accused's relationship to the family added to the case's instability. Crucially, both the victim and her cousin failed to identify the man during court proceedings. Prosecutors also ignored a teacher who heard the girl's initial account. They never called her to testify.
The justices acknowledged the child's specific vulnerabilities. "We are conscious of the fact that the victim was a mentally challenged girl and as such, a certain degree of latitude would have to be given while appreciating her evidence," the bench noted. Even with that leeway, the court ruled the prosecution failed to prove its case. The evidence simply fell short.
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