Goa: Court acquits yoga teacher in rape case of US national

She alleged in the police complaint that the accused induced her and her friends to pay money but did not conduct proper yoga classes and did not provide promised facilities. She had further alleged that the accused had committed similar act with her friend, who was also a foreign national. Goa police had booked the accused under sections 376 (rape), 354 A (sexual harassment) and 420 (cheating) of Indian Penal Code. During the trial, the prosecution examined 19 witnesses, including medical experts. The court said the medical evidence did not conclusively establish sexual assault.

In an order last week, Pooja C Kavelkar, Presiding Officer, Fast Track Special Court Panaji, said, “The best witness to state before the court as to what had happened was the victim herself. As she has not appeared before the court, this court cannot convict the accused based on the other material on record. The medical evidence also does not conclusively establish sexual assault. Hence the accused is entitled for an acquittal.”