A court in Delhi issued a significant order on Tuesday, allowing a forensic examination of the voice sample belonging to the woman who survived the horrific Unnao gang rape. This development is part of the ongoing legal proceedings related to the alleged gang rape that occurred in June 2017.
Defence Seeks Clarity on Disputed Recordings
The order was passed in response to an application filed by the lawyer representing one of the accused, Shubham Singh. The defence counsel presented a key argument before the court. They stated that the survivor had "denied" that her voice was present in certain recorded conversations, even though these recordings are being used as evidence during the trial.
According to the defence, these specific audio recordings are critically important. They allegedly contain statements where the woman admits that "she had left her house voluntarily" on the relevant day. The defence has labelled this potential admission as "crucial objective evidence" that could impact the case.
Court Directs Forensic Analysis at CFSL
After considering the defence's submission, Special Judge Murari Prasad Singh directed the authorities to send the woman's voice sample for forensic analysis. The sample will be examined at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL).
The forensic experts will compare the newly obtained voice sample with the audio and video recordings that are already a part of the official case record. This comparison aims to establish whether the voice in the disputed recordings indeed belongs to the survivor.
Judge Clarifies the Purpose of the Examination
In his order, Judge Murari Prasad Singh provided an important clarification. He emphasized that the permission for the forensic examination was being granted solely to aid the adjudicatory process. The court made it clear that the final evidentiary value of the forensic report would not be decided immediately.
Instead, the report's findings and their legal weight will be examined and assessed at an appropriate later stage of the trial. This ensures the forensic analysis is conducted as part of a fair process to ascertain facts.
The case stems from the gang rape of the woman in Unnao in June 2017, which took place merely a week after she was allegedly raped by the former BJP MLA, Kuldeep Sengar. Sengar was later convicted in a separate case and sentenced to life imprisonment.
