Summary:
A Dindoshi special court designated for sexual crimes on children last week observed in its judgment that the sole uncorroborated testimony of the victims if reliable then it can be relied on. Special Judge HC Shende under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act found the 35-year-old man guilty of sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to outraging modesty, stalking and criminal intimidation. Judge Shende relied on a landmark Supreme Court judgment which said that seeking corroboration of the victim's statement where her testimony inspires confidence, amounts to adding insult to injury. This apex court judgment had also stated that the evidence of a victim of a sexual offence is entitled to great weight notwithstanding the absence of corroboration. It thus acquitted the man of the charges under the Pocso Act and sentenced him to one-year in jail..