NOIDA: A fast-track court has acquitted a Delhi-based HR manager accused of rape after the complainant retracted her allegations during trial, stating that the police had drafted the complaint themselves.
Additional Sessions Judge Priyanka Singh also directed that proceedings be initiated against the woman under Section 344 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) for allegedly filing a false case and giving false evidence.
The case began with an FIR registered at Phase III police station in Noida on March 25 last year. In her complaint, the woman accused her colleague, HR manager Karan Gujral, of raping her in 2023 after allegedly mixing an intoxicating substance in her food and drink.
She further alleged that Gujral repeatedly called her to hotels and sexually assaulted her for over a year on the promise of marriage.
According to the FIR, the two later married at a temple in February 2024 and began living together. The woman told police that she became pregnant in November, but the accused later stopped responding to her calls. When she approached his family, she was allegedly told that he was already married.
Police registered a case under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (rape) and recorded her statement before a magistrate under Section 164 CrPC. Gujral was arrested on April 4, and a chargesheet was filed ten days later before the case was transferred to a fast-track court.
However, the prosecution’s case weakened significantly during trial when the complainant contradicted her earlier statements while testifying in court.
She told the court that she worked at the same company where the accused served as HR manager and was upset because her job had not been regularised and her salary payments were delayed.
According to her testimony, colleagues advised her to approach the police. She said that when she went to the police station with company officials to complain about the salary dispute, the police themselves drafted the FIR. She also claimed that her statement before the magistrate had been recorded at the police’s behest.
During cross-examination, the woman denied that Gujral had called her to hotels or had sexual relations with her and admitted that she had never met him alone.
She also acknowledged that she was about six months pregnant when the FIR was filed, but said the child was not fathered by the accused.
Although the prosecution declared her a hostile witness, the court observed that her testimony significantly weakened the case against the accused.
Medical evidence also failed to support the allegations. The doctor who examined the complainant testified that there were no visible injuries or forensic indications of sexual assault. The court noted that the medical findings did not establish that the accused had forcibly raped the woman or administered any intoxicating substance.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s ruling in State of Delhi vs Shriram Lohiya, the judge observed that statements recorded under Section 164 CrPC cannot be treated as substantive evidence unless corroborated by other material.
The court consequently acquitted Gujral and directed that a separate case be initiated against the complainant for allegedly misusing legal provisions intended to protect women.
