New Delhi: A Delhi court has acquitted four persons accused of gangraping a minor girl, saying that the police officials lacked sensitivity and diligence in probe and recommended action against them.
"The present case relates to the gang rape of a child victim and more sensitivity and diligence was expected of the investigating officers (IOs)," said Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Illa Rawat.
"An appropriate action is desirable against the erring police officials," she added while acquitting the four accused - city residents Kapil Sharma, Jai Prakash, Bablu and Vikrant.
The court acquitted the four giving them the benefit of doubt as the victim failed to identify them.
The court said that the police failed to trace the victim's brother and sister to have their deposition as prosecution witness.
"Even elder brother and sister of the victim were not traceable. The victim herself was produced to depose before the court but only to turn hostile. No serious efforts were made to trace out the other material witness," the court said.
The prosecution case dated back to March 1, 2009, when the victim was alone at her home, all the four accused entered her room in an inebriated condition and allegedly raped her.
As per the prosecution, the four had threatened the victim that they would kill her if she reported the incident to the police or to her relatives.
After the accused persons left the place, the victim narrated the whole incident to her elder brother and sister, who reported the matter to police, it said.
ASJ Rawat also pulled up the investigating officers in the case for not involving the victim in the investigative process right from the initial stage.
"It is seen that the role of investigating officer (IO) and the prosecuting agency in protecting the witness has been sadly lacking. The IO apparently lost track of the victim at the initial stage of investigations itself. No attempt was made to join victim in investigations of the case...", the judge said.
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