A senior police officer has been acquitted of charges of indecent assault against a policewoman stemming from incidents that occurred several years ago. Magistrate Yogesh Prasad delivered the verdict, finding the officer not guilty of two counts of indecent assault that allegedly took place in 2017 and 2018.
The prosecution claimed that the officer, who was in charge of the Police Band, engaged in inappropriate conduct toward the complainant, an active member on his team. It was alleged that in June 2017, he hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek in the band’s office, and again in March 2018, he hugged her from the side, repeating the kiss on the cheek. The complainant testified that she felt uncomfortable during both encounters.
During cross-examination, она acknowledged that she reported the incidents to authorities only in 2021, a fact that the defense questioned regarding the timing. She refuted any claims that there was a coordinated effort to have the officer removed from his position as head of the Police Band.
In his ruling, Magistrate Prasad pointed out concerns about the delay in reporting the alleged incidents. He noted that as a police officer, the complainant would have been familiar with the reporting procedures, which brought into question the credibility and reliability of her testimony. Prasad emphasized that her inability to provide a reasonable justification for the delay in reporting undermined her position. He also stated that there was no evidence of undue influence over her as she maintained her professional relationship with the accused.
While the court did not require corroborative evidence to make a determination, it was noted that testimony from another recent complainant could have bolstered the prosecution’s case. Additionally, the magistrate observed that the complainant appeared evasive at times during her testimony, which further impacted her credibility.
Ultimately, after evaluating all the evidence presented, the court concluded that reasonable doubt existed in the prosecution’s case, leading to the acquittal of the accused officer. This outcome reflects the importance of credible and timely reporting in legal prosecutions, highlighting the challenges faced in cases of alleged misconduct.