A 16-year-old girl from Delhi fainted in a court on Friday when she saw her step father in front of her, to identify the accused and confirm the allegations. As she said that he allegedly raped her for more than three months.
The girl collapsed in the court as her mother and grandmother pressurised her not to name her step father and withdraw the statement accusing her stepfather of rape so that he could walk free.
The additional sessions judge Vinod Yadav, directed the Delhi government to post a child psychologist so that the girl is counseled and feel relaxed before entering the courtroom to record their statement.
Judge Yadav said. “No mechanism has been provided in the special courts in the form of accredited list of child psychologist, whose services can be availed by the court in assessing the mental
stress level of the victim children before proceeding to record their evidence.”
He said. “Only after assessing the mental condition of the child by the said psychologist, the court may proceed to record her evidence.”
Yadav said.” Victims in rape cases where the accused was a close relative often faced family pressure to withdraw the complaint. Police, too, identify family pressure as one of the reasons for a high acquittal rate in rape cases”.
Delhi reported 1,004 cases of child rape in 2014, in which 140 cases were accused ny either the father, brother, son or grandfather of the victim.