An Indian court on Thursday acquitted High Court Judge Siraj Desai who was accused of raping an Aids activist in his Mumbai hotel room in January.
”The allegations do not seem probable,” said Judge S.P. Davare. ”No force appears to have been applied.”
Desai (53) was arrested on January 19 during the World Social Forum meeting in Mumbai, after Salome Isaacs, the South African activist, alleged that he raped
her when she visited him in his hotel room at 3am.
Desai denied any wrongdoing and said they had consensual sex. He was granted bail and allowed to return to South Africa.
The 27-year-old activist later withdrew the rape charge against Desai in a public statement.
In India, however, rape charges cannot be withdrawn because of concern that the alleged victim may be pressured to do so.
”The case was dismissed and my client was discharged because the judge felt there was no case against him on the basis of police report,” said RA Shaikh, Desai’s attorney, on Thursday. ‒ Sapa-AP