New Delhi: The Delhi high court is likely to pronounce its judgement on Monday on an appeal of Mahmood Farooqui, co-director of Bollywood film ‘Peepli Live’, against his seven-year jail term for raping a research scholar from Columbia University, United States..
Justice Ashutosh Kumar had reserved the verdict on September 1 after hearing arguments of the counsel for the state and Mr Farooqui. Mr Farooqui has challenged his conviction and the sentence given by the trial court.
During the arguments, Mr Farooqui's lawyer had denied the allegation of rape levelled by the US woman and said “no such incident took place on that day”. He had referred to messages exchanged bet-ween his client and the woman before lodging of the case and, contended the two were in a ‘relationship’ since January 2015. “In a relationship, when people are attracted to each other, things do happen. But it does not mean it’s rape,” he had said. The “woman’s version is contradictory to the documentary evidence”, he added.
Opposing this argument, Delhi police’s counsel said the rape had taken place and the trial court had given reasons while convicting and sentencing him.
It may be noted a trial court had on August 4 last sent him to jail for seven years, noting he had taken advantage of the situation when the victim was alone in his house.
