MUMBAI: A Mumbai court on Thursday acquitted Bollywood singer Ankit Tiwari of raping a woman.
A sessions court here Thursday acquitted Tiwari after the complaint, allegedly his former girl friend, turned hostile and failed to support the prosecution version during the trial.
Additional Sessions Judge SKS Razvi also acquitted Tiwari’s brother Ankur of the charges of of threatening the complainant.
Tiwari, a playback singer, was arrested in May 2014 by suburban Versova police in the case. He was later released on bail.
The complainant, allegedly his former girlfriend, had claimed that he raped her on several occasions between October 2012 and December 2013 after promising to marry her, but did not keep the promise.
“The prosecution could not prove its case,” said Tiwari’s lawyer Rizwan Merchant.
The complainant didn’t support the prosecution case during her testimony in the court and was declared ‘hostile witness’.
This has raised fresh questions on the misuse of rape law by women in India.
Activist Arnaz Hathiram wrote, “Well well!! Acquitted! Means he is NOT a rapist! Now will the holy woman get any just any punishment for false case???”
Hathiram along with her colleague Deepika Bhardwaj has been actively campaigning for the repeal of laws, often deemed biased against men.
Their documentary Martyrs of Marriage has received plenty of plaudits from people across India.
Bhardwaj said, “Cry Rape on Promise. Then ‘compromise’. Then turn hostile. Easy ehhhhhh.”
(With PTI inputs)