Delhi Court discharges accused in rape case, cites contradictory WhatsApp chats and delayed FIR

A Delhi Court has acquitted an accused in a rape case, highlighting inconsistencies in evidence, particularly WhatsApp chats, that undermined the prosecution's claims.

The complainant alleged forceful sexual assault by the accused, with whom she had previously been in a consensual relationship initiated through a mutual family connection.

Defence counsel Shashank Dewan argued that the relationship was consensual and that no commitment to marriage was made. The defence presented WhatsApp chats exchanged before and after the alleged incident, which contradicted the accusations.

The messages showed friendly exchanges, with no reference to an assault, and indicated that the accused had previously declined the complainant’s marriage proposal.

The complainant filed the First Information Report (FIR) five months after the alleged incident, which reportedly took place in November 2020.

The significant delay raised further doubts for the Court, especially since the chats indicated that the complainant had initiated several meetings with the accused.

While the complainant admitted to the authenticity of the chats, she declined to provide her phone for forensic analysis.

Citing these inconsistencies and the lack of credible evidence, the Court concluded that the alleged assault was improbable and discharged the accused, emphasising the absence of substantial suspicion to support the claims.