Vishal Dadlani Slams Chattisgarh HC's Rape Case Verdict: 'Someone Is Clearly Running A Rapist Bachaao Abhiyaan'

The Chhattisgarh High Court on Monday (February 16) ruled that ejaculation without penetration amounts to attempted rape, not rape. The court reduced the sentence of the accused in a 2004 rape case from seven years to three and a half years after medical evidence indicated that the victim's hymen was intact. Music composer Vishal Dadlani has slammed the court's verdict.

Vishal Dadlani slams Chattisgarh HC's rape case verdict

On Wednesday, Vishal shared a tweet by Live Law on the court's verdict, which states, "Keeping Penis Above Vagina, Ejaculating Without Penetration Isn't #Rape': #Chhattisgarh High Court Alters Rape Conviction."

Reacting to it, Vishal wrote, "Seriously!?? What!!!??? @livelaw.in you need to start naming these judges, and posting their pictures online alongside such judgements. Let their wives, daughters, sisters, mothers see what the "man of their house" thinks. Someone is clearly running a #RapistBachaaoAbhiyaan."

About the rape case

The case is from May 21, 2004, in Dhamtari district, Chhattisgarh. According to the prosecution, the accused forcibly took the victim to his house, stripped her, and tried to have sexual intercourse against her will. The victim was allegedly locked inside a room, her hands and feet tied, and a cloth stuffed into her mouth. She was rescued by her mother. In 2005, the trial court convicted the accused under Sections 376(1) and 342 of the IPC and sentenced him to seven years of imprisonment for rape, along with six months for wrongful confinement.

In the latest hearing, a single bench of Justice Narendra Kumar Vyas said that the accused's intent was "criminal and clear", but the prosecution failed to prove penetration, which is necessary for rape under Section 375 of the IPC as it stood in 2004. Section 376(1) was modified to Section 376/511 (attempt to rape).

The verdict was announced after the High Court examined both the victim's testimony and the medical report. The medical report confirmed the victim's hymen was intact.