Sweeping Assumptions on Delay in FIR For Sexual Offences Send Wrong Signal to Society: SC

Sweeping assumptions over delays in lodging FIRs for sexual offences send a problematic signal to society and create opportunities for abuse by miscreants, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday while acquitting a woman in a 24 year old sexual offence case. "It is indisputable that parents would not ordinarily endanger the reputation of their minor daughter merely to falsely implicate their opponents, but such clichés ought not to be the sole basis of dismissing reasonable doubts created and/or defences set out by the accused," the bench said. It said that similar to the trial Court, the high court also explained away the delay in registration of FIR as a result of family reputation put at stake in matters of sexual offence cases. "Sweeping assumptions concerning delays in registration of FIRs for sexual offences send a problematic signal to society and create opportunities for abuse by miscreants.