Sri Venkataravana v. State of Karnataka

( IN(THE(HIGH(COURT(OF(KARNATAKA(AT(BENGALURU( THDATED(THIS(THE(13 (DAY(OF(MARCH,(2026( BEFORE( THE(HON'BLE(MR.(JUSTICE(G(BASAVARAJA( CRIMINAL(APPEAL(NO.821(OF(2022(( ( BETWEEN:(( ( SRI,VENKATARAVANA, S/O,NARAYANASWAMY, AGED,ABOUT,30,YEARS, R/O,KOPPAVALIPALLI,VILLAGE, NALAVANKI,HOBLI, SRINIVASAPURA,TALUK, KOLAR,DISTRICT,563,135, ...APPELLANT, , (BY,SRI.,GIRISH,R.,,ADV.), , AND:( , STATE,OF,KARNATAKA, REPRESENTED,BY, CIRCLE,INSPECTOR,OF,POLICE,, SRINIVASAPURA,CIRCLE, SRINIVASAPURA,TALUIK,,KOLAR,DISTRCT, REPRESENTED,BY,, STATE,PUBLIC,PROSECUTOR, HIGH,COURT,BUILDINGS, BENGALURU,-,560,001, …RESPONDENT, , (BY,SRI.,M.,DIWAKAR,MADDUR,,HCGP), ,, THIS, CRL.A, IS, FILED, U/S, 374(2), OF, CODE, OF, CRIMINAL, PROCEDURE, PRAYING, TO, SET, ASIDE, THE, JUDGMENT, OF, CONVICTION, AND, ORDER, ON, SENTENCE, ( DATED, 15.02.2022, PASSED, BY, THE, ADDITIONAL, DISTRICT, AND,SESSIONS,JUDGE,,FTSC-1,(POCSO),,KOLAR,IN,SPL.C.(P), no.21/2020,CONVCITING,THE,APPELLANT/ACCUSED,FOR,THE, OFFENCE,P/U/S,363,,506,,324,,376(2)(N),OF,IPC,AND,SEC.6, OF,POCSO,ACT., , THIS, APPEAL, HAVING, BEEN, HEARD, AND, RESERVED, FOR, JUDGMENT, ON, 19.01.2026, AND, COMING, ON, FOR, "PRONOUNCEMENT, OF, ORDERS", THIS, DAY,, THE, COURT,( DELIVERED,THE,FOLLOWING:, , CORAM:, HON'BLE,MR.,JUSTICE,G,BASAVARAJA, , CAV(JUDGMENT(

¶1The, appellant, has, preferred, this, appeal, against, the, judgment, of, conviction, and, order, on, sentence, dated,

15.02.2022, passed, in, Spl.C.(P), No.21, of, 2020, by, the, Additional, District, and, Sessions, Judge, FTSC-I, (POCSO), at, Kolar,(for,short,"the,trial,Court").,,

¶2Parties, herein, are, referred, to, as, per, their, status, and, rank,before,the,trial,Court.,

¶3The,brief,facts,leading,to,the,present,appeal,are,that,the, Circle,Inspector,of,Police,,Srinivasapura,Circle,,Srinivasapura, Taluk,filed,a,charge,sheet,against,the,accused,for,the,offence, punishable,under,Sections,363,,376,,506,of,IPC,and,Section,6, of,the,Protection,of,Children,from,Sexual,Offences,Act,,2012, ( (POCSO, Act)., It, is, alleged, by, the, prosecution, that, on,

12.05.2020,at,about,09.00,pm,,when,the,victim,girl,had,gone, to,backyard,of,her,house,to,attend,to,nature,call,,the,accused, came,there,,gagged,her,and,dragged,her,to,the,eucalyptus, grove,of,Venkatanarasimha,Bhattachar,,adjacent,to,the,land, of, Yakashi, Byreddy, in, Koppavaripalli, Village., It, is, further, alleged,that,the,accused,removed,her,clothes,,and,when,she, opposed,, he, bit, her, cheeks, and, committed, rape, on, her, repeatedly,till,about,04.00,am.,,At,about,04.00,am,,the,victim, girl, escaped, from, the, accused,, returned, to, her, house, and, informed,her,parents,about,the,incident.,

¶4On,15.05.2020,,victim,girl,filed,a,complaint,before,the, police, based, on, which,, the, case, was, registered, in, Crime, No.33/2020, of, Gownipalli, Police, Station., The, Investigating, Officer,arrested,the,accused,and,recorded,the,statements,of, the,witnesses,and,statement,of,victim,under,Section,164,of, the, Cr.PC, through, Magistrate,, subjected, the, victim, and, accused, to, medical, examination,, conducted, mahazars,, collected, the, school, documents, regarding, date, of, birth, of, ( victim,, collected, the, FSL, report, and, after, completion, of, investigation,,filed,the,charge,sheet.,,

¶5Since,the,date,of,arrest,,accused,is,in,judicial,custody.,, Upon,hearing,on,charges,,the,trial,Court,framed,the,charges, for, the, commission, of, offences,, which, were, read, over, and, explained,to,the,accused.,,Having,understood,the,same,,the, accused,pleaded,not,guilty,and,claimed,to,be,tried.,

¶6To, prove, the, case, of, the, prosecution,, in, all, seven, witnesses, were, examined, as, PWs1, to, PW7,, 19, documents, were,marked,as,Exs.P1,to,P19,and,19,material,objects,were, marked,as,MO1,to,19.,On,closure,of,prosecution's,evidence,, statement, of, the, accused, under, Section, 313, of, Cr.PC, was, recorded., The, accused, denied, the, evidence, of, prosecution, witnesses., However,, did, not, choose, to, adduce, any, defence, evidence,on,his,behalf.,,

¶7Having, heard, the, arguments, on, both, sides,, the, trial, Court,has,convicted,the,accused,for,the,commission,of,offence, under,Sections,363,,506,,324,,376(2)(n),of,IPC,and,Section,6, of, POCSO, Act., , The, accused, was, sentenced, to, undergo, ( rigorous,imprisonment,for,a,period,of,five,years,with,fine,of, Rs.5,000/-,for,the,offence,under,Section,363,IPC.,,Further,, sentenced,to,undergo,rigorous,imprisonment,for,a,period,of, two, years, with, fine, of, Rs.2,000/-, for, the, offence, under, Section, 506, IPC, and, sentenced, to, undergo, rigorous, imprisonment,for,a,period,of,two,years,with,fine,of,Rs.3,000/-, for,the,offence,under,Section,324,IPC.,,For,the,offence,under, Section,6,of,the,POCSO,Act,,the,accused,was,sentenced,to, undergo, simple, imprisonment, for, a, period, of, 25, years,with, fine, of, Rs.20,000/-., , Being, aggrieved, by, the, judgment, of, conviction,and,order,of,sentence,,the,appellant,has,preferred, this,appeal.,

¶8Learned,counsel,for,the,appellant,would,submit,that,the, impugned, judgment, of, conviction, and, order, on, sentence, passed, by, the, trial, Court, is, highly, illegal,, arbitrary, and, unreasonable.,The,trial,Court,has,committed,serious,material, irregularities, and, illegalities, in, appreciating, the, material, evidence,available,on,record,,which,has,resulted,in,conviction, of, the, accused., The, trial, Court, has, failed, to, appreciate, the, oral,evidence,of,the,victim,and,her,admissions.,In,her,cross- ( examination,, she, has, improved, her, version, and, has, given, false, evidence, before, the, Court., , During, the, cross-examination, of, PW1,, she, has, specifically, and, unequivocally, admitted,that,accused,had,not,misbehaved,with,her,while,she, was, studying, in, high, school, and, that, she, had, not, at, all, interacted, with, him., , She, further, admitted, that, accused, neither, visited, her, house, nor, misbehaved, with, her., , These, statements,clearly,proves,that,the,appellant,is,not,the,person, who,committed,the,alleged,heinous,offence.,

¶9During, the, cross-examination,, PW1, clearly, admitted, that, she, had, not, identified, the, accused., , She, specifically, admitted, that, it, was, not, possible, for, her, to, identify, any, person,during,the,dark,hours,of,the,night.,,She,admitted,that, she, did, not, know, who, had, gagged, her, and, dragged, to, the, eucalyptus,grove.,

¶10It,is,further,submitted,that,the,house,of,the,appellant,is, situated, adjacent, to, the, house, of, the, victim, and, that, the, appellant, is, her, neighbor., The, appellant, was, working, as, a, driver,and,the,school,was,situated,about,20,kilometers,away, from,the,village.,The,appellant,used,to,pick,up,and,drop,the, ( victim,along,with,other,students,studying,in,the,same,school, on,a,daily,basis.,,The,appellant,never,misbehaved,with,the, victim,or,with,any,other,student.,This,fact,was,also,admitted, by,the,victim,herself.,,

¶11Learned, Counsel, would, submit, that, the, appellant, is, having, a, good, attitude, and, a, law, abiding, citizen, and, has, never, committed, any, such, heinous, offence., , He, has, been, falsely,implicated,in,the,present,case.,,It,is,further,submitted, that,there,was,a,dispute,between,the,parents,of,the,victim, and,appellant,with,regard,to,the,use,of,the,road,,and,due,to, the,vengeance,,the,appellant,has,been,falsely,implicated.,

¶12The, alleged, incident, is, stated, to, have, occurred, on,

12.05.2020, at, about, 09.00, p.m., However,, the, complaint, came,to,be,filed,only,on,15.05.2020.,,Therefore,,there,is,an, inordinate,delay,of,three,days,in,lodging,the,complaint,before, the, police,, which, has, not, been, properly, and, satisfactorily, explained,by,the,prosecution.,

¶13In, cases, of, rape,, medical, evidence, is, very, important., PW4-Doctor, who, examined, the, victim,, in, her, cross- ( examination,, specifically, and, unequivocally, admitted, that, there, was, no, sexual, assault, on, the, victim., Therefore,, from, this,evidence,itself,,it,is,clear,that,no,sexual,assault,had,taken, place,and,that,a,false,and,frivolous,complaint,has,been,filed, against,the,appellant.,

¶14The,FSL,report,specifically,records,that,the,presence,of, seminal,stains,were,not,detected,in,Item,Nos.1,to,17,and,19.,, In,particular,,item,No.8-dupatta,of,the,victim,,item,No.9-top, of, the, victim,, item, No.10-leggings, of, the, victim, and, item, No.11-underwear, of, the, victim, were, examined, and, the, FSL, report,has,clearly,states,that,there,are,no,seminal,stains,were, detected,on,any,of,these,items.,Therefore,,it,is,clear,that,the, appellant,has,not,committed,the,alleged,offence.,,

¶15PWs2,and,3,are,hearsay,witnesses,and,their,evidence, has, no, much, importance., , However,, the, trial, Court, has, erroneously, gave, so, much, importance, to, the, evidence, of, PWs2,and,3.,The,prosecution,has,utterly,failed,to,prove,the, spot, mahazar, and, seizure, mahazar, beyond, all, reasonable, doubt.,, (

¶16Further,, it, is, submitted, that, Investigating, Officer, has, not,produced,any,acceptable,and,legally,admissible,evidence, to,prove,the,age,of,the,victim.,The,school,certificate,alone,is, not,sufficient,to,prove,the,age,of,the,victim,in,view,of,the,law, laid, down, by, the, Hon'ble, Apex, Court., , The, Investigating, Officer, has, not, collected, the, birth, certificate, or, ossification, certificate,of,the,victim.,The,age,of,the,victim,was,more,than, 18, years, at, the, time, of, commission, of, alleged, offence.,, Viewed, from, any, angle,, the, prosecution, has, failed, to, place, cogent,, convincing,, clinching,, and, corroborative, evidence, to, prove, the, guilt, of, the, accused., , On, all, these, grounds,, he, sought,for,allowing,the,appeal.,,

¶17As, against, this,, the, learned, High, Court, government, pleader, would, submit, that, the, trial, court, has, properly, appreciated,the,material,and,record,in,accordance,with,Law, and, facts, and, there, are, no, grounds, to, interfere, with, the, impugned, judgement, of, conviction, and, order, on, sentence, passed, by, the, trial, court., Accordingly,, he, has, sought, for, dismissal,of,the,appeal., (

¶18Having,heard,the,arguments,on,both,sides,and,perusal, of,materials,placed,before,this,court,,the,following,points,for, my,consideration:, 1) Whether,the,prosecution,has,proved,beyond,all, reasonable,doubt,that,the,victim,was,a,child,as, defined, intersection, 2(d), Of, POCSO, act, as, on, the,date,of,commission,of,offence?,, 2) Whether,the,trial,Court,is,justified,in,convicting, the,accused,for,the,intersection,six,of,POCSO, Act?, 3) Whether,trial,court,is,justified,in,convicting,the, accused,for,the,offence,under,section,363,,506,, 376(2)(n),and,324,of,Indian,Penal,Code?, 4) What,order?,

19., My,answer,to,the,above,points,are:, , , Point,No.1:,in,the,negative;, , , Point,No.2:,in,the,negative;, , , Point,No.3:,in,the,negative;, , , Point,No.4:,as,per,final,order, Regarding(Point(No.1:((

20., The,Circle,Inspector,of,Police,,Srinivasapura,Circle,has, filed,charge-sheet,against,the,accused,for,the,offence,under, ( Sections,363,,376,,506,of,Indian,Penal,Code,and,Section,6,of, thPOCSO,Act.,,It,is,the,case,of,the,prosecution,that,on,12 ,May, 2020, at, about, 9.00, pm, when, the, victim, had, gone, to, the, backyard,of,their,house,for,attending,nature,call,,at,that,time,, accused, Came, there,, gagged, her, and, dragged, her, to, the, eucalyptus, grove, of, one, Venkatanarasimha, Bhattachar, adjacent, to, the, land, of, Yakashi, Byreddy, in, Koppavaripalli, Village., There, accused, removed, her, clothes, when, she, opposed, accused,, bite, her, cheeks, and, committed, sexual, assault,on,her,repeatedly,till,early,morning,and,at,about,4.00, am,, the, victim, girl, escaped, from, the, accused,, went, to, her, house,and,informed,about,the,incident,to,her,parents.,Thus,, accused,has,committed,the,alleged,offences.,

21., It, is, the, case, of, the, prosecution, that, victim-PW1, was, born,on,27.5.2003.,To,substantiate,this,,the,prosecution,has, produced, documents, Exhibit, P9-School, Admission, extract, issued,by,Government,Higher,Primary,School,,Koppavarapalli,, Srinivasapura,Taluk.,It,reveals,the,date,of,birth,of,the,victim, thgirl, as, 27 , May, 2003., Exhibit, P10, is, the, School, Admission, Register, Extract, issued, by, the, Headmaster, of, Government, ( Higher,Primary,School,,Koppavarapalli,,which,reveals,the,date, of, birth, and, age, of, the, victim,, wherein, the, date, of, birth, is, thshown, as, 27 , May,, 2003., In, addition,, the, prosecution, has, adduced,the,evidence,of,victim,,wherein,she,has,deposed,that, she,is,aged,18,years.,

22., PW2-Narasimhaa,,the,father,of,victim,has,not,deposed, as,to,the,date,of,birth,of,the,victim.,

23., PW5-Dr.,Gousia,Banu,has,not,deposed,as,to,the,age,of, the,victim.,

24., PW6-S.V.Anjanappa,,Headmaster,of,Government,Higher, stPrimary,School,,Koppavarapalli,has,deposed,that,on,1 ,June, 2020,,at,the,request,of,Police,,he,has,furnished,documents, Exhibits,P9,and,P10,wherein,the,date,of,birth,of,victim,girl,is, thshown,as,27 ,May,2003.,

25., A,perusal,of,the,material,placed,before,this,court,makes, it,crystal,clear,that,the,Investigating,Officer,has,not,collected, and, produced, the, birth, certificate, of, the, victim., The, investigating,officer,has,also,not,obtained,the,birth,certificate, or, the, SSLC, marks-card, or, Ossification, test, certificate, from, ( the, concerned, medical, Board., , The, medical, officer, has, expressed,his,opinion,in,Exhibit,P5,that,the,victim,was,aged, 17, to, 18, years., Medical, officer, has, not, complied, with, the, mandatory, provisions, of, section, 164A, of, CRPC., The, investigating,officer,has,also,not,complied,with,the,mandatory, provisions, of, Section, 34, of, POCSO, Act., , The, investigating, officer, has, not, whispered, anything, as, to, non-compliance, of, Section, 94, of, Juvenile, Justice, (Care, and, Protection, of, Children),Act,,2015.,

26., During, the, course, of, cross-examination, of, PW6-Anjanappa,, he, has, clearly, admitted, that, police, have, not, enquired,him,as,to,the,birth,certificate,of,the,victim.,,PW6,has, not, whispered, anything, as, to, on, what, basis, the, School, authorities,have,entered,the,date,of,birth,of,the,victim.,,The, medical, certificate, itself, reveals, the, age, of, the, victim, was, between, 17, to, 18, years., , PW1, has, deposed, that, she, was, studying,in,I,Year,PUC.,However,,the,investigating,officer,has, not, collected, the, SSLC, marks, card, of, the, victim., , In, the, absence,of,the,aforesaid,material,piece,of,evidence,,it,is,not, safe, to, come, to, the, conclusion, that, the, prosecution, has, ( proved, beyond, all, reasonable, doubt, that, the, victim, was, a, child,as,defined,under,Section,2(d),POCSO,Act.,,Accordingly,,I, answer,Point,No.1,in,the,negative., Regarding(Point(No.2:(

27., With,regard,to,the,offence,under,section,6,of,POCSO,Act, is,concerned,,when,the,prosecution,has,failed,to,prove,that, the,victim,was,a,child,as,defined,under,section,2(d),of,POCSO, Act, as, on, the, date, of, commission, of, allege, offence,, the, question,of,commission,of,offence,under,the,penal,provisions, of,POCSO,Act,does,not,rise.,Accordingly,,the,prosecution,has, failed, to, prove, the, guilt, of, the, accused, under, Section, 6, of, POCSO,Act.,,Hence,I,answer,Point,No.2,two,in,the,negative.,, Regarding(Point(No.3:((

28., With,regard,to,offence,under,Section,376(2)(n),of,IPC,is, concerned,,in,the,complaint,exhibit,P1,,the,victim,has,stated, ththat,on,12 ,May,,2020,,she,,her,parents,and,elder,brother, were,about,to,sleep,in,their,house,after,having,dinner,,and, before,going,to,bed,,she,went,to,attend,the,nature,call,in,the, backyard,of,the,house.,At,that,time,,the,accused,came,from, ( backside,, gagged, her, and, dragged, to, the, eucalyptus, grove, adjacent, to, the, land, of, Yakashi, Byreddy, and, removed, her, clothes, and, committed, rape, on, her., , When, she, objected, accused,bite,her,cheeks.,,Then,she,informed,to,her,parents,at, about,4.00,am.,,, th29., The,alleged,incident,took,place,on,12 ,May,2020.,,The, thcomplaint,came,to,be,filed,on,15 ,May,2020,,complaint,was, filed,at,10,am.,On,the,basis,of,the,complaint,case,came,to,be, registered, in, Crime, No.33, of, 2020, against, the, accused, for, offence,under,Section,6,of,POCSO,Act,and,Sections,376,,324, of,Indian,Penal,Code,and,submitted,FIR,as,per,Exhibit,P19,on, th15 ,May,2010,at,5.00,pm.,,After,lapse,of,52,days,from,the, date, of, commission, of, offence,, the, investigating, officer, had, produced, the, victim, before, the, Civil, Judge, and, JMFC,, Srinivasapura,, in, Crime, number, 33, of, 2020, and, that, the, Magistrate, has, recorded, the, statement, of, the, victim, under, thSection,164,of,Cr.PC,on,7 ,July,2020,in,which,the,victim,has, not,stated,as,to,the,alleged,rape,said,to,have,been,committed, thby,the,accused.,However,,she,has,deposed,that,on,12 ,May, 2020,at,9,PM,when,she,went,to,attend,the,nature,call,in,the, ( backyard,of,their,House,,the,accused,came,gagged,her,and, dragged,her,to,the,eucalypts,grove,,removed,her,clothes,and, committed, sexual, assault, on, her, and, bite, her, cheeks., , Her, clothes,were,stained,with,semen.,,She,told,to,accused,that, she, will, inform, the, same, to, her, parents,, to, which, accused, threatened,that,he,will,kill,her.,,Then,she,escaped,from,him, and,came,to,the,house,and,informed,the,same,to,her,parents.,, Thereafter,,she,and,her,parents,went,to,the,police,station,and, lodged,complaint.,

30., The, Police, have, conducted, mahazar, in, the, place, of, th thincident,on,17 ,May,2020,as,per,Exhibit,P4.,,,On,17 ,May, 2020,,victim,was,examined,by,the,medical,officer,and,after, examination,,she,has,issued,certificate,as,per,Exhibits,P5,and,

7.,,In,Exhibit,P5,history,given,by,the,victim,it,is,shown,as, under:, , "Victim,says,she,had,gone,to,toilet,at,around,9.00, pm,on,12.05.2020,in,the,back,of,her,house,,when,she, was, taken, by, the, accused, Venkataramana, forcefully,, against, her, consent, to, the, Neeligiri, grove, where, he, sexually, assaulted, her, and, bite, her, on, her, face., , She, gives,h/o,vaginal,intercourse,and,she,came,by,herself,at, around,4.00,am,on,13.05.2020.", ( ,

31., The,external,injuries,are,as,under:, , "Circular, abrasion, over, right, side, of, the, cheek, bluish,in,color,(2,bite,mark)., No,injuries,seen,over,breasts,,thigh,,arm,,or,neck, or,to,the,private,parts.", , The, doctor, has, opened, that, there, is, a, possibility, of, sexual, assault,,and,the,final,opinion,is,kept,pending,for,want,of,FSL, report.,,,

32., Exhibit, P6, is, the, FSL, report, in, which, it, is, shown, as, under:, , "1., Presence, of, seminal, stains, were, detected, in, item,No.18.,

2.,Presence,of,seminal,stains,were,not,detected,in, item,Nos.1,,2,,3,,4,,5,,6,,7,,8,,9,,10,,11,,12,,14,,15,,16,, 17,and,19.,

3.,Presence,of,blood,stains,were,not,detected,in, item,No.13.", ,

33., There,is,a,delay,of,three,days,in,filing,the,complaint.,In, Exhibit, P1-complaint,, it, is, stated, that, due, to, lockdown, because, of, COVID-19, pandemic,, she, could, not, file, the, complaint., , Item, No.18, is, the, underwear, to, be, of, accused., ( The,presence,of,seminal,stains,were,not,detected,on,items,1, to,12,,14,to,17,and,19,,which,belongs,to,the,victim.,

34., Exhibit,P7,is,the,letter,addressed,by,the,medical,officer, to,the,General,Hospital,,Srinivaspura,to,the,Sub-Inspector,of, Police,,in,which,the,result,of,examination,is,shown,as,under:, , "Presence,of,seminal,stains,were,not,detected,in, item,Nos.1,,2,,3,,4,,5,,6,,7,,8,,9,,10,,11,and,12.", , The, final, opinion, is, also, given, that, there, is, no, medical, evidence,as,to,suggest,sexual,assault.,

35., A, perusal, of, the, materials, placed, before, this, court, makes, it, crystal, clear, that, there, is, no, consistency, in, the, evidence,of,PW1,statement,under,section,164(5),of,Cr.PC,and, the,medical,evidence.,,The,evidence,of,PW1,has,also,not,been, supported,with,evidence,of,PW2-father,of,victim.,,The,father, of, victim, has, not, deposed, as, to, the, alleged, commission, of, rape,said,to,have,been,committed,by,the,accused.,,However,, he,has,deposed,that,on,the,date,of,incident,victim,had,been, to,attend,the,nature,call,and,at,that,time,,accused,gagged,her, from,the,backside,and,dragged,her,to,eucalyptus,grove,and, ( removed, her, clothes., , This, witness, was, partly, treated, as, hostile, witness, and, was, cross-examined, by, the, Public, Prosecutor,with,the,permission,of,the,court.,,Only,when,the, learned,Public,prosecutor,suggested,him,that,the,accused,has, committed,rape,,he,stated,before,the,police,that,accused,has, committed,rape.,,Admittedly,,PW2,is,not,an,eye-witness.,,It,is, the,case,of,the,prosecution,that,victim,PW1,has,informed,the, incident,to,her,parents,on,the,very,day,at,4,am.,,However,, the,parents,of,the,victim,have,not,lodged,any,complaint,to, ththe, police, till, 15 , May, 2020., PW1, has, not, lodged, any, complaint.,PW1,or,her,parents,not,produced,the,victim,before, the, medical, officer, for, examination., , PW2,, father, of, the, victim,, has, not, whispered, anything, as, to, delay, in, filing, the, complaint.,,Even,the,victim,also,has,not,whispered,as,to,delay, in, filing, the, complaint., , During, the, course, of, cross-examination,of,PW1,,she,admitted,that,she,has,not,identified, the,accused,at,the,relevant,point,of,time,,and,she,specifically, admitted,that,it,is,not,possible,to,tell,as,to,who,has,dragged, her,to,the,eucalyptus,grove.,,Further,,she,has,deposed,that, even, after, taking, to, the, grove, when, the, she, objected, and, when,accused, bite,her,cheeks,,she,do,not,know,as, to, who, ( was,the,accused.,,It,is,not,the,case,of,the,prosecution,that, there,no,are,houses,nearby.,,It,is,also,not,the,case,of,the, prosecution, that, the, house,of, the, victim, was, in, an, isolated, place.,,If,the,incident,had,occurred,and,the,victim,had,cried,, then,people,would,have,assembled,to,rescue,the,victim.,,The, victim,specifically,deposed,that,even,after,being,gagged,and, dragged, and, bitten, her, cheeks,, she, has, not, known, the, person., , It, is, evident, from, the, evidence, of, the, victim, that, parents, and, brother, of, the, victim, were, in, the, House., However,,they,have,not,taken,any,steps,to,search,the,victim, or,filed,complaint.,

36., Medical,Certificate-Exhibit,P5,reveals,that,victim,visited, ththe,hospital,on,16 ,May,2020,along,with,her,mother.,,The, Medical,Officer,has,not,disclosed,the,history,of,the,victim,as, also,the,delay,in,coming,to,the,hospital,for,examination.,,The, age, of, the, injury, or, the, bite, marks, of, the, cheeks, is, not, disclosed,in,Exhibit,P5.,,Since,there,is,no,proper,explanation, as,the,delay,in,filing,the,complaint,,the,evidence,of,PW1,will, create, reasonable, doubt, as, to, the, alleged, incident., , The, admission,made,by,PW1,during,the,cross-examination,,delay, ( of, three, days, in, filing, the, complaint, and, also, delay, in, examination, of, the, victim, by, the, medical, officer, and, the, evidence, of, PW2-father, of, the, victim,, and, the, evidence, of, PW2,are,not,of,the,ordinary,prudent,man.,Evidence,of,PW1, and, 2, appears, to, be, unnatural., , If, really,, the, accused, had, committed, the, alleged, incident,, the, victim, would, have, informed, about, the, same, to, her, parents, and, the, parents, would,not,have,waited,for,three,days,to,lodge,the,complaint.,, It, is, only, as, an, afterthought, that, the, PW1, has, lodged, the, complaint,to,the,police.,

37., As, already, discussed, above, evidence, of, PW1, is, not, consistent,to,the,statement,under,Section,164,of,Cr.PC,and, the,medical,evidence,and,even,the,forensic,science,laboratory, report,is,also,not,in,favour,of,the,prosecution.,,No,seminal, stains,have,been,found,on,items,1,to,17,and,19,,which,belong, to,the,victim.,,

38., Viewed, from, any, angle,, I, do, not, find, any, cogent,, convincing,,corroborative,,credible,and,legal,evidence,before, the, Court, to, come, to, the, conclusion, that, the, accused, has, committed, offence, punishable, under, Sections, 363,, 506,, ( 376(2)(n),and,324,of,IPC.,,Hence,,I,answer,Point,No.3,in,the, negative., Regarding(Point(No.4:(

39.,,For,the,aforestated,reasons,and,discussions,,I,proceed,to, pass,the,following:, O(R(D(E(R(

i),, Appeal,is,allowed;,

ii),, Judgment,of,conviction,and,order,on,sentence, thdated, 15 , February,, 2022, passed, in, Spl.C.,

(P), No.21, of, 2020, by, the, Additional, District, and,Sessions,Judge,FTSC-I,(POCSO),at,Kolar,, is,set,aside;,

iii),, Accused,is,acquitted,of,the,offence,punishable, under,Sections,363,,506,,324,and,376(2)(n), of,Indian,Penal,Code,and,Section,6,of,POCSO, Act;,

iv),, The,trial,Court,is,directed,to,refund,the,fine, amount,,if,any,deposited,by,the,accused;, (

v),, Registrar, (Judicial), to, communicate, this, Judgment, to, the, concerned, jail, authority, to, release,the,appellant/accused,forthwith,,if,he, is,not,involved,in,any,other,case;,

vi),, Registry, is, also, directed, to, send, the, trial, Court, records, along, with, copy, of, this, judgment,,to,the,concerned,Court.,, , Sd/-( (G(BASAVARAJA)( JUDGE( ( , , , , , , , , , lnn,