'Peepli Live' co-director Mahmood Farooqui acquitted in rape case
On Monday, 'Peepli Live' co-director Mahmood Farooqui was found not guilty of raping a US researcher. Delhi High court has acquitted the director today.
Last year a Delhi court has convicted the 45-year-old filmmaker in the rape case and sentenced him seven years jail term.
The High Court today said that all the allegations of the American woman was inaccurate.
The incident dates back to 2015. The victim was in India
related to her Phd work when the incident took place. The incident took place
at Farooqui’s resident in south Delhi’s Sukhdev Vihar on March 28.
According to the victim’s statement, Farooqui was under the influence of
alcohol when he raped her after a party.
"An American national woman was raped by the co-director of the film 'Peepli Live'. The incident took place on March 28, 2015, and a report in this connection was registered with the New Friends Colony police on June 19, 2015," a Delhi Police official told IANS.
"The accused Mahmood Farooqui has been arrested and was presented before Saket court. The court has sent him into judicial custody till July 6," added the official.
However, Mahmood Farooqui’s wife Anusha Rizvi, who also co-directed ‘Peepli Live’ with her husband, claimed the allegation “manipulated and false”.
The high court, in its 85-page judgement, directed that Farooqui, who was present in jail, be released at once. He was given the benefit of doubt as the victim’s allegations were not justified."Whether such an incident happened, if it has happened, it did happen with the consent of the prosecutrix. This remains in doubt," the court said.
Farooqui had challenged his conviction and the sentence of the trial court.
During arguments, Farooqui's lawyer had denied the allegation of rape and said "no such incident took place on that day".
