Thane court acquits man accused of raping, impregnating sister-in-law

Thane: A court in Thane district has acquitted a man accused of forcibly establishing a sexual relationship with his sister-in-law and impregnating her, citing that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges as the key witnesses had turned hostile.Additional sessions judge Premal S Vithalani held the 34-year-old accused, a resident of Kalwa, not guilty of charges under sections 68(a) (sexual intercourse by a person in authority/fiduciary relationship), 88 (causing miscarriage without woman's consent), and other relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.A copy of the order dated April 18 was made available on Monday.According to the prosecution, the victim had moved to the accused's house in 2021 to help her elder sister after childbirth, and during this time, the accused forcibly established sexual relations with her and impregnated her in 2022.The pregnancy was subsequently terminated.The judge observed that to establish the offence under section 68(a) of the BNS, the prosecution is required to prove that the accused was in a fiduciary relationship, abused such a relationship to induce or seduce the victim, and noted that the victim had testified that their relationship had been consensual.The court further pointed out that the brother of the victim denied any knowledge of the alleged harassment or pregnancy.The court acquitted the accused of all charges, noting that the prosecution failed to prove that the accused had induced or seduced the victim or committed any criminal intimidation.
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