28 April,2017 09:45 AM IST | Mumbai | Sailee Dhayalkar
A special women's court yesterday acquitted singer and music composer Ankit Tiwari, who had been accused of raping a woman on several occasions from 2012-13
Ankit Tiwari
A special women's court on Thursday, acquitted singer and music composer Ankit Tiwari, who had been accused of raping a woman on several occasions from 2012-13. He was acquitted of charges under sections 376 (rape), 493 (cohabitation caused by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of lawful marriage), 417 (cheating) and 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.
A vindicated Tiwari told mid-day, "Justice has prevailed."
The complaint was filed in May 2014. On December 19, 2015, a sessions court charged Tiwari under the four sections of the IPC. This was challenged before the HC, which asked Tiwari to file a discharge application. The plea was, however, rejected. The court then framed charges against him on February 10, to which Tiwari pleaded not guilty.
The complainant deposed in court at two hearings. Sources said at the first hearing, she spoke on how she met Tiwari, and at the second, she was deemed hostile by the prosecution for not standing by her statement to the police.
Tiwari's lawyer, Rizwan Merchant, said, "The prosecution failed to prove rape charges. A lot of witnesses in the case were untraceable."
