Admissibility Of The Evidence In The Rape Cases

Jawabnavis Jayanth Naga Sai, ICFAI Law School, Hyderabad

ABSTRACT

Rape cases are one of the most heinous crimes in the world. Especially in India, one girl is raped every sixteen minutes1. As per the Annual Report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in the year 2022, the crimes against women have surged 4% compared to the previous year. The offenses related to the Assault on Women with an intent to outrage her modesty and Rape are 18.7% and 7.1% respectively. Further, this percentage is exclusive of unreported cases, if included the percentage will soar up exponentially. In such heinous crimes like rape, evidence plays an important role and more so admissibility of such evidence is pivotal in adjudicating such cases.

While there are remedies available for rape victims in India, most of the cases go unreported due to lack of acumen. Therefore, it is important to create awareness to curb the taboo present around the rape victims. The main aim of this article is to analyze the admissibility of evidence in rape cases which aids in the conviction of the accused. This article includes the basic meaning and definition of rape, punishments that are prescribed for rape and seeks to determine the admissibility of evidence in rape cases. The paper also aims to shed light on legal remedies available to rape victims in India. Furthermore, it signifies different types of evidence in rape cases and their admissibility in courts using legal provisions and precedents.

Keywords: Rape, Evidence, Admissibility, legal remedies, Offences.