The High Court of Delhi has set aside the conviction and sentence of a man for rape, holding that the prosecution failed to prove “beyond reasonable doubt” that the prosecutrix was below the statutory age of consent, which was 16 years at the time of the incident in 2005.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma , in a judgment delivered on October 27, 2025, acquitted the appellant, Udaipal, of charges under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court found that the prosecution’s entire case regarding the victim’s age rested on a school certificate (Ex. PW-2/C) which “cannot be regarded as reliable proof of age,” especially as the original school admission register and the affidavit supporting the date of birth entry were never produced before the Trial Court.

The appeal (CRL.A. 155/2007)

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