Television actor and singer Karan Oberoi has received a huge relief in the ongoing rape case against him. A Sessions Court in Mumbai has held that it is 'difficult to believe the initial story of rape’. The court has disbelieved the story of a 34-year-old-woman who accused Karan of spiking her drink and then raping her. She had also alleged that the actor videotaped the act and extorted money by threatening her to make the video public. She had alleged that Karan had taken advantage of her on the pretext of marriage.
Karan had been in judicial police custody and was even rejected bail on May 17. According to a report published in a leading daily, the court said, “The story in respect of sexual intercourse by the administration of intoxicating substance is difficult to believe for the reason that the informant is said to have left for her house soon after the incident. The story in respect of extortion under intimidation to make the video go viral is also difficult to believe looking to the fact that the informant continued to give gifts to the applicant from time to time and also looking into the WhatsApp messages showing their continuous cordial relationship.”
Karan’s lawyer had furnished WhatsApp messages between the actor and the complainant. Additional Sessions Judge S U Baghele, in a seven-page order, also noted, “The perusal of WhatsApp messages on record reveal they went to the extent of chatting in obscene language. It is also seen they had developed intimacy. However, there is no message to the extent that the actor had promised to marry her.”
The court also made note of the “costly articles gifted by the informant to the applicant and his relatives and transfer of huge sums of money by the informant to the bank account of the applicant.” The judge further said, “In that view of the matter though, this court, prime facie, finds it difficult to believe the initial story of rape, continued sexual intercourse, either by expressly or by impliedly pretending to an intention of marriage, which amounts to rape, as the intention appears to be otherwise than to get married since inception.”
Karan’s lawyer Dinesh Tiwari had argued that the actor was in a consensual relationship with the woman and had never promised to marry her.
(Source: Times of India)
