Supreme court rules, no corroboration required in rape cases

Supreme court rules, no corroboration required in rape cases

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The Supreme Court has ruled that no corroboration will be required in rape cases just the victim's statement will suffice to impose conviction. The Supreme Court has ruled that in rape


cases there was no need for corroboration and conviction can be imposed on the sole statement of the victim as her testimony cannot be looked at with suspicion. "It is a trite law that


a woman, who is the victim of sexual assault, is not an accomplice to the crime but is a victim of another person's lust. The prosecutrix stands at a higher pedestal than an injured


witness as she suffers from emotional injury. Therefore, her evidence need not be tested with the same amount of suspicion as that of an accomplice. The Indian Evidence Act nowhere says that


her evidence cannot be accepted unless it is corroborated in material particulars," the apex court said. A bench of justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan passed the ruling while


dismissing an appeal filed by Mohd Imran Khan and Jamal Ahmed challenging their conviction for rape of a minor girl about 22 years ago. The defence had argued the victim's statement


cannot be relied upon as she had eloped with the accused.