Delhi High Court Reverses Acquittal Of "Monster" Father For Raping Minor Daughter

The Delhi High Court reversed a trial court decision that acquitted the father of all charges on the basis of delay in reporting the matter.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday held guilty a father of repeatedly raping his minor daughter for two years, reversing a trial court decision that acquitted him of all charges on the basis of delay in reporting the matter.

A bench headed by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait allowed appeals by the State as well as the victim along with her mother and brother against the acquittal, and remarked that instead of finding a "monastery" in her father's lap, the minor girl found a "monster".

Holding that every delay in reporting the matter cannot be branded fatal in a mechanical manner, the court noted that the victim, who was 10 years old at the time she was first raped, tolerated sexual assault by her father for approximately two years afterwards. She went to the police after noticing that her father had beaten her mother and brother instead of mending his ways, the court said.