State of Punjab v/s. Gurmit Singh
- Raisha Bansal, D Y Patil University, Pune
- November 29, 2020
Content :
It is a judgment that deals with rape committed 11 years back before 2020, and states whether corroborative evidence is an essential part of legal credence as expressed in Section 8 of the Indian Evidence Act. This Act was authorized in 1872 to sift through the ambiguities during the time spent securing proof and attempted to discover measures to lay the foundation for enactment adequately.
The case is broadly recognized and analyzed by the evidence act 1872 and section 118 and the IPC sections 363,366,368 and 376. This case marks an important distinction with respect to the evidence needed and the credibility which needs to be given to rape victims. They shoulder a great responsibility while trying an accused on charges of rape and rightly so this Court, aware of its burden delineated that courts often make the mistake of sitting through repeated inquiries about the incident from the victim.
The fact that it observed that this is often used to discredit a victim and harass and humiliate her is appreciated in the judgment, and it acts as a stepping stone in the fight for women’s rights. Hence, this elucidates the importance and well-being of a rape victim.
