Rape of Russian girl, SC grills accused politician

New Delhi, Jan 4 (PTI) The Supreme Court of India on
Monday gave John Fernandes politician from India's coastal
state of Goa accused of raping a Russian girl a tongue lashing
after he claimed innocence to get the anticipatory bail
initially granted restored.

The Bombay High Court had cancelled the anticipatory
bail given by the sessions court on the State Government's
appeal following which he moved the apex court.
A bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and A K Patnaik
while rejecting the appeal filed by Fernandes against the high
court order wondered as to how the girl suffered so many
injuries "proximate to her private parts," if the allegations
of rape, or at least an attempt to commit the same were not
true.
"How do you explain the 12-13 injuries on her thighs,
knees and arms. It changes the entire complexion of the case.
"Injuries on the thigh and other areas are very proximate
to her private parts," the bench observed when counsel tried
to submit that medical examination of the victim did not
indicate any signs of rape.
` The apex court said that there apparently was no reason
for a Russian girl to frame up Fernandes as claimed by him.
"She is a Russian girl, where is the need for her to
file a false complaint against you. There are scratches all
over the body. Definitely there appears to be an attempt to
commit rape. She had no reason to grind the axe against you,"
the bench observed.
The Russian girl was allegedly raped by Fernandes on
December 1 near Colva beach by spiking her drinks.(

The apex court said that the victim had give a graphic
account of the offence and there apparently was no reason to
disbelieve the same, at least to the extent that an attempt
was made to rape her.
"Assuming that there is no intercourse, as far as
injuries are concerned it is clear there was an attempt," the
bench observed, when the counsel kept repeating the plea that
the accused was innocent and the injuries were not sufficient
enough to establish the charge of rape.
At one stage, the bench also dared the counsel to read
in the court portions of the actual statement made by the
victim to the police on the alleged sexual assault.
When Lalit did not read the exact testimony of the
victim, the bench remarked, "As a counsel you are finding it
difficult to read. She is a Russian girl and has no reason to
implicate you. She knows the consequences."
The apex court then proceeded to dismiss the petition
but the counsel instead sought permission to withdraw the
petition to which the bench agreed. PTI RB