INDIA
Daijiworld
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Jan 14: The suspension of the Bangalore Archdiocesan priest Simon Bartholomeo by Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in barring the priest from exercising “the priestly ministry in public,’’ turns to be a far grave Canonical offence as the girl, whom he was accused of raping and impregnating and helped in her getting an abortion, was a minor when the alleged offence took place.
The priest was acquitted by Tumkur’s Second Additional District and Sessions Court, as all the seven prosecution witnesses including the victim, her parents and grandmother had turned“hostile’’ and the prosecution was unable to “prove beyond a reasonable doubt’’ that accused had “intercourse with (the victim) forcibly’’ and had “intercourse from time to time by (falsely) promising to marry her’’ and had “committed criminal intimidation of murdering (the victim) if she tells about him and asking her to put the blame on somebody else.’’
Thus, in the eyes of the civil court, which tried the case under Sections 376, 507 and 417 of Indian Penal Code and delivered the judgement on June 17, 2010, the accused was acquitted of the charge brought against him. The court held that the prosecution had failed to establish following the seven witnesses, including the victim and her parents, turning hostile that the “accused had committed rape forcibly and against her consent and continued to have intercourse with her, with a promise to marrying her and the consequent pregnancy and the prosecution has failed to prove even the criminal intimidation alleged.’’
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