Plea in HC alleges collusion by cops in rape case

Delhi High Court today sought response of the city police on a woman's plea alleging that cops colluded with the man who allegedly raped her by getting her married to the accused when she went to lodge the FIR.
While issuing notice to Delhi Police and asking it to file a status report, Justice Vipin Sanghi asked "How was the investigating officer (IO) allowed to continue the probe after the allegations made by her in her statement under section 164 of CrPC?"
While allowing the fast track court to go ahead with the trial and recording of evidence, the high court asked it not to pronounce the verdict while the woman's plea for a fresh investigation was pending here.

The high court listed the matter for further hearing on May 5.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police said it will provide protection to the woman as she has alleged that she and her family was being threatened by the accused.
As per the plea filed through advocate Nikhil Borwankar, the woman was raped in September 2014 and she had initially gone for lodging FIR on September 21-22, 2014.

However, she was detained overnight at a home run by an NGO and on the next day she was married off to the accused at a temple and the wedding was video recorded by police, the woman has alleged in her plea.

She claimed that she escaped from the venue and then along with her father she went to the office of Deputy Commissioner of Police who sent them back to the same police station where the FIR was lodged on September 23, 2014.
It was also alleged in her plea that before taking the woman for medical examination, to ascertain rape, she was made to have a bath and at the hospital she was not even taken before the doctor.
On September 24, 2014, in her statement before the magistrate under section 164 she had categorically accused several officers, including station house officer and IO of the police station, of colluding with the accused.

During the hearing in the high court, Borwankar alleged that police in its charge sheet filed in January last year has opposed the woman's allegations against the accused by relying on the video recording.
Borwankar contended that there was "potential for manifest injustice" if the high court did not intervene and sought a fresh probe in the case by an independent agency apart from quashing of the charge sheet.
The woman has also sought expediting of the hearing in her complaint lodged against the police officers for not carrying out the probe properly.