Court puts lawyer on trial for sexually assaulting daughter

A Delhi court has put on trial a lawyer for allegedly sexually assaulting his minor daughter after rejecting the cancellation report of the police giving him a clean chit.
Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Yadav pulled up the Delhi Police for "not showing any sensitivity towards the plight of the child" and deliberately delaying recording the statement of the 13-year-old girl before a magistrate.
The court refused to accept the cancellation report filed by the police, summoned the accused lawyer after taking cognisance of the offences and framed charges of sexual assault, sexual harassment and threatening his daughter under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and IPC.

"I find enough material on record not to accept the cancellation report filed in the matter as the child victim has levelled serious allegation of commission of sexual assault upon her by the accused, who is none other than her father. She had reiterated similar allegations against the accused at the time of her medical examination," the judge said.
"For the reasons best known to the investigating officer (IO) the statement of the child under section 164 CrPC was delayed for about six days. It appears that during those six days the accused could win over the child. Neither the IO, nor concerned SHO or ACP have shown the sensitivity towards the plight of the victim in the cancellation report filed in the matter," the court said.

The court framed charges against the man, a practicing lawyer, after he pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. He was granted bail after he appeared in the court in pursuance to summons.

The girl had told the police that in July 2016, her mother away at her relative's place and she was living in her house along with her father and siblings.
She alleged that her father had sexually harassed her by asking for sexual favours and established physical relations with her for several days. She had said her father had sexually assaulted her and used criminal force by twisting her arm with an intention to outrage her modesty.

Later, she said in her statement before a magistrate that her father had not committed any crime with her and police officials had come to her house following a quarrel between her parents and took her signatures on a blank paper.
The police in its cancellation report said in view of the girl's statement to the magistrate, no cognizable offence was made out against the man.