A Delhi court on Wednesday acquitted MP and former chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women, Swati Maliwal, accused of allegedly disclosing the identity of a 14-year-old rape victim who succumbed to injuries.
Additional chief judicial magistrate Neha Mittal also acquitted Bhupender Singh, then public relations officer of DCW.
The prosecution alleged Singh disclosed the minor rape victim's name to electronic media at Maliwal's behest.
According to the FIR, the notice sent by Maliwal as the chairperson of DCW, in which she sought to know about the investigation in the rape case, was "intentionally circulated" on a WhatsApp group and shown by a TV channel.
"Prosecution has failed to prove the commission of offence under Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, read with Rule 86 of the Juvenile Justice rules by the accused persons beyond a reasonable doubt," the order said.
The court said neither the notice revealing the identity of the minor victim on WhatsApp nor Singh sharing a copy of the notice with a news channel was proved.
While Section 74 of the law prohibits any such disclosure to the media, Rule 86 deals with the classification of offences as cognisable or non-cognisable and designated courts.
"Accused persons, namely Swati Maliwal Jaihind and Bhupender Singh, are hereby acquitted of the offence under Section 74, read with rule 86 of the Juvenile Justice Act," the court said.
The order referred to the testimony of witnesses and underlined "complete failure" on the part of prosecution or complainant to prove the charges. -- PTI
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