18 trafficked women rescued in Delhi
New Delhi, July 31: The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Tuesday rescued 18 women, aged 18-30 years, who had become victims of human trafficking. Most of them belong to Nepal.
The Nepal Embassy "is being contacted" for their repatriation.
The Commission, in a statement, said an operation was conducted with the support of Uttar Pradesh Police in Varanasi which had registered an FIR on July 23 on some girls from Nepal were being taken to Delhi to be sold to Gulf countries for prostitution.
An Uttar Pradesh Police team came to Delhi and raided a house in Maidan Garhi where the girls were kept, said a statement.
At least 68 Nepali passports were recovered from the house.
DCW chief Swati Maliwal, who was informed about the report, reached the spot and tried to interact with the girls who initially didn't speak up.
"After counselling, they opened up and said they had been brought to Delhi for jobs," according to the Commission.
They are poor and belong to the earthquake-affected regions of Nepal. Most of them had lost their homes and families.
Last week, in two separate incidents, DCW rescued 16 Nepali girls who were about to be trafficked to Gulf countries.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Delhi court acquits husband, in-laws in dowry death case
New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi court has acquitted a man and his parents in a dowry death case, saying the prosecution failed to establish allegations of cruelty or dowry harassment against them.
Additional Sessions Judge Deepak Wason acquitted Kartik Sharma, his father Ravi Dutt Sharma, and his mother Veena Sharma in the case of Shivali Sharma, who died by suicide in March 2023.
The accused were facing trial under Sections 498A (cruelty by husband or relatives) and 304B (dowry death) of the IPC.
In the April 1 order, the court said, “There is nothing on record to establish the culpability of the accused persons in the commission of the offences charged against them. The prosecution has failed to prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.”
It held that while the death was unnatural and occurred within seven years of marriage, the key elements of dowry death, particularly proof of harassment connected to dowry demands, remained unproven.
According to the prosecution, the deceased's family alleged she was subjected to harassment and repeated dowry demands, including cash and a vehicle, which allegedly drove her to commit suicide.
The police registered the FIR after her parents made statements before an executive magistrate.
However, during the trial, key prosecution witnesses, including the deceased's mother, father, brother, uncle and grandmother, did not support the allegations in the court.
They consistently stated that Shivali was living a "peaceful and happy" married life and denied any dowry demand or harassment by the accused.
The witnesses further attributed her death to depression caused by her child's serious medical condition.
The court noted that the testimonies of close relatives, considered the most material witnesses, revealed no evidence of cruelty or dowry-related harassment “soon before her death,” a crucial requirement to establish an offence under Section 304B IPC.
The court observed that the medical evidence confirmed death due to asphyxia caused by hanging.
Giving the benefit of the doubt, the court said this alone was insufficient to implicate the accused without corroborative evidence of cruelty.
