US researcher rape case: 'Peepli Live' co-director Mahmood Farooqui acquitted by Delhi HC

Movie 'Peepli Live' co-director Mahmood Farooqui on Monday was acquitted by Delhi High Court in connection with the US researcher rape case.

The High Court raised doubt about the veracity of incident and complaint.

The complaint had been filed by the victim several weeks after the alleged incident took place. The trial court had convicted Farouqui of rape under the new rape laws inacted in 2013 and imposed the minimum of seven-year punishment.

Following that, Farooqui had also appealed against his seven-year jail term.

High Court however gave benefit of doubt because of the delay in the FIR and questioned whether the incident had happened without consent or whether the accused understood the consent.

Justice Ashutosh Kumar had reserved the verdict on September 1 after hearing arguments of the counsel for the State and Farooqui.

A trial court had on August 4 last year sent him to jail for seven years, observing that he had taken advantage of the situation when the victim was alone in his house.

The court, which on July 30, 2016 had held Farooqui guilty of raping the American woman in 2015 in a drunken state, had also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him.

The police had on June 19, 2015, lodged the FIR against Farooqui on the woman's complaint after which he was arrested.

On July 29, 2015 the police had filed its charge sheet against Farooqui alleging he had raped the research scholar from Columbia University at his Sukhdev Vihar house in South Delhi on March 28, 2015.