Bharatpur: Judge Akhilesh Kumar of POCSO Court No 2 acquitted the then special Anti-Corruption Bureau Judge Jitendra Gulia and his staff Rahul Katara and Anshul Soni of the charge of raping a minor in 2021.
During trial of the high-profile case, statements of 40 witnesses were recorded and 61 documentary evidences examined. After a detailed hearing of all the aspects, the court concluded that the prosecution failed to prove the charges. Advocate Vivek Hatheni said the court acquitted the accused on the basis of lack of evidence, reports of scientific tests and thorough investigation of the case. The evidence presented by the prosecution did not impress the court, he said.
What was the case?
On October 31, 2021, a case of rape of a minor boy was registered at Mathura Gate police station in the city. The then special ACB judge Jitendra Gulia was arrested along with Katara and Soni who were employed at the Bharatpur court. On March 16, 2022, the Rajasthan High Court granted bail to Gulia, after which the hearing of the case continued.
Hatheni said that during the hearing of this case, statements of 40 witnesses were recorded by the prosecution. Apart from this, 61 documents were submitted in the court. The Forensic Science Laboratory report and the results of the polygraph test proved vital. The court found that the evidence presented by the prosecution was not enough to prove the charges against the accused.
As per the complaint filed by the victim's mother, the boy used to visit a stadium to play tennis. She alleged her son was sexually assaulted after being intoxicated. The boy was allegedly assaulted for a month.
