Allahabad High Courts Upholds Rape Conviction, Highlights Systemic Hurdles Faced by Marginalised Survivors

The Allahabad High Court upheld the conviction of a 70‑year‑old man in a 1996 rape case, noting social and economic factors such as caste and poverty delayed filing of the FIR and preservation of evidence. 

The Court acknowledged the survivor’s consistent, credible testimony and observed that the absence of physical evidence was understandable given the impoverished circumstances.

The SC/ST Act charge was dropped due to a lack of evidence of a caste-based offence, and the sentence was reduced from ten years of rigorous imprisonment to seven years’ simple imprisonment under Sections 376 and 452 IPC.