Uttarakhand court acquits Sudanese student of rape charges

A 22-year-old South African student alleged that on October 29, 2024, during a farewell party at a friends house, Musa raped her when she went to sleep in an inebriated state. The court noted that other witnesses stated that the student and Musa slept in separate rooms, and none of them stated in their statements that the accused attempted to rape the student.

A Dehradun court acquitted a Sudanese student accused of raping a foreign student pursuing graduation from a private university and ordered his release from jail. Dehradun's Additional District and Sessions Judge Rajni Shukla, in her decision pronounced on Friday, acquitted Musa alias Moza Moses Ladu James, a resident of South Sudan, and ordered the Dehradun district jail superintendent to release him immediately. A 22-year-old South African student alleged that on October 29, 2024, during a farewell party at a friend's house, Musa raped her when she went to sleep in an inebriated state. The student went to Delhi and filed a zero FIR at the Kashmere Gate police station. The FIR was transferred to the Clementown police station in Dehradun, where the accused Musa was arrested on November 20. Apart from the victim, a total of eight witnesses were presented by the prosecution, out of which four were students of the victim's college, whereas no witness was presented by the defence nor any documentary evidence was presented. The court noted that the complainant and all her friends had consumed drinks at the party, and she herself admitted in her statements that she was in an inebriated state and did not know who touched her. The court noted that other witnesses stated that the student and Musa slept in separate rooms, and none of them stated in their statements that the accused attempted to rape the student. The court noted that a friend who slept in the same room as the complainant testified that she had woken up suddenly and screamed after having a dream. The court noted that the medical report also did not support the student's statements.

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