Madras HC confirms life sentence for raping mentally challenged woman
The Hindu
Ignores inconsistent answers given by her during cross examination
The Madras High Court has confirmed the conviction and life sentence imposed on an individual for having raped a woman suffering from moderate mental illness. The court ignored the inconsistent answers given by the victim during cross examination since it was natural for such persons to take time to grasp the questions and answer them properly.
A Division Bench of Justices P.N. Prakash and R.N. Manjula wrote: “The victim had clearly understood what had happened to her and narrated it lucidly in her examination-in-chief in a language understandable to everyone. When she was grilled during cross examination, it is quite natural for her to become nervous and pick up the questions slowly.”
The judges pointed out that the victim belonged to the lower strata of the society. She was married to a person who deserted her within six months of their marriage. Since then, the woman was living at her parental home in Tiruppur district. On February 5, 2014, Sakthivel, a local resident, had taken her to a cotton godown forcibly and raped her.