Calcutta HC acquits Pinki Pramanik of all charges

The Calcutta High Court Friday acquitted Asian Games gold medallist athlete Pinki Pramanik of all charges including rape and assault levelled against her by her live-in partner two years back.

The verdict was given by a bench of Justice Subrata Talukdar.

The athlete expressed happiness at the verdict, saying "truth has prevailed".

She also sought punishment of the complainant for "making the false allegations".

Pramanik was charge sheeted by police in 2012 following complaint from her former live-in partner that she that she was "actually a male" who had raped her repeatedly.

The charge sheet cited the opinion of a seven-member medical board constituted to confirm the athlete's gender in June 2012, following allegations by her live-in partner.

It also accused Pramanik of torture, cheating, co-habiting with the promise of marriage and threat to the complainant not to disclose their relationship.

The athlete was arrested June 14, 2012, and remanded to judicial custody the next day after the the live-in partner, a divorcee and a mother of one, filed the police complaint.

Pramanik was later taken to a private nursing home for a medical check-up where the test reports claimed that the athlete was indeed a male. The athlete was then brought to the Barasat district hospital and finally to the state-run SSKM Hospital here for the tests.

The athlete later alleged that she was treated like an animal during gender tests which were done by tying her hands and feet.

The treatment meted out to the athlete had then attracted severe criticism from all quarters, including the sporting fraternity.

Pramanik, who retired from athletics in 2009, won gold in the 4x400 metres relay at the 2006 Asian Games in Qatar's capital Doha. She was a silver medallist at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games the same year.