Salome Isaacs, the woman who accused prominent South African judge Siraj Desai of raping her, has unconditionally withdrawn the charges.
In a statement on Thursday signed by Isaacs and her husband Mark, she said: ”I hereby wish unconditionally to withdraw the allegation of rape against Mr Siraj Desai.
”I have instructed my attorneys, Sihlali Molefe Incorporated, to attend to the legal processes involved in ensuring that this withdrawal is speedily and properly communicated to the Indian authorities.”
Desai was arrested by Indian police on Monday after Isaacs (26) an Aids activist told police the judge raped her in his hotel room when she went to meet him at 3am Sunday to discuss the next day’s events at the World Social Forum being held in Mumbai.
Desai and Isaacs were both attending the forum.
The story has been very prominent in the South African media throughout this week. On Monday, Desai had allegedly sent a text message to the The Star newspaper saying he was not guilty.
”I am innocent. I find rape offensive,” he said in the SMS.
About 100 000 people are taking part in the World Social Forum, an annual meeting of anti-globalisation forces that began on Friday and is discussing issues ranging from the environment to the US-led occupation of Iraq.
Isaacs, who is representing a South African HIV/Aids organisation at the forum, was quoted in ThisDay newspaper as saying that Desai ”came on very strongly” when she went to his room.
”There was a lot of kissing and holding … and there was a point where I wanted him to back off but he continued. There was a definite ‘no’ … the result was that there was sex without consent.”
In an interview with The Star earlier this week, Isaacs’s husband, speaking from South Africa, claimed he had spoken to Desai after the supposed rape and told him ”this would bring shame on South Africa”.
He claimed that he had asked Desai to apologise but the judge had turned him down saying ”there was nothing to forgive and they were just having drinks”. – Sapa