Supreme Court to hear plea of sexual assault against the school head
September 20, 2017After sexual assault controversies of ‘gurus’ such as Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Swami Nityananda, Asaram Bapu and Sant Rampal who had the media glare the not so famous sexual assault of four minor girls by the head of religious institution `Noorain Fatimat-ul-Zuhra' in Budgam escaped the media limelight. The controversy has reached the Supreme Court on Monday with the J&K government challenging the school head’s acquittal.
The victims alleged that the school head "used to call them to his room separately on the pretext of giving them religious teaching at night and used to subject them to forcible sexual intercourse. He used to take a promise from the victims that whatever happened would not be discussed with anyone and if it was disclosed to anyone, then they would be in danger". The girls claimed that after the sexual assault, they had approached public figures like Asiya Andrabi and the Darul Uloom at Bandipora, who had assured them that action would be taken. When they did not get justice from them, they lodged a FIR.
Related Post: Spiritual guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh guilty of Rape
The assaults, the four girl students took place in December 2012. They said they had approached several important persons for justice and finally lodged a FIR in May 2013.
The trial court acquitted the accused, Gulzar Ahmad Bhat, because of the five-month delay in lodging of FIR. The high court upheld the decision.
Thereafter the state, through counsel Shoeb Alam, said in its appeal that the SC had time and again ruled that delay in lodging FIR in a sexual assault case could not be cited to discard the prosecution case, more so in a rape case.
On Monday, a bench of Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao, despite concurrent findings of the trial court and the HC, admitted the appeal and agreed to hear it soon.The J&K government also questioned the concurrent findings that the prosecution had produced no independent witness, despite the girls recording their statements accusing Bhat of sexually exploiting them.
The victims alleged that the school head "used to call them to his room separately on the pretext of giving them religious teaching at night and used to subject them to forcible sexual intercourse. He used to take a promise from the victims that whatever happened would not be discussed with anyone and if it was disclosed to anyone, then they would be in danger". The girls claimed that after the sexual assault, they had approached public figures like Asiya Andrabi and the Darul Uloom at Bandipora, who had assured them that action would be taken. When they did not get justice from them, they lodged a FIR.
Related Post: Spiritual guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh guilty of Rape
The assaults, the four girl students took place in December 2012. They said they had approached several important persons for justice and finally lodged a FIR in May 2013.
The trial court acquitted the accused, Gulzar Ahmad Bhat, because of the five-month delay in lodging of FIR. The high court upheld the decision.
Thereafter the state, through counsel Shoeb Alam, said in its appeal that the SC had time and again ruled that delay in lodging FIR in a sexual assault case could not be cited to discard the prosecution case, more so in a rape case.
On Monday, a bench of Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao, despite concurrent findings of the trial court and the HC, admitted the appeal and agreed to hear it soon.The J&K government also questioned the concurrent findings that the prosecution had produced no independent witness, despite the girls recording their statements accusing Bhat of sexually exploiting them.
Latest Legal News
3 Bills to Renew India's Criminal Justice System presented in Lok Sabha; All you Need to Know
âSorry state of affairs' in PoSH Act implementation; SC orders Govts. to ensure ICCs are constituted