Aise ghinauni harkat: High court outraged over son-in-law’s shameful act of rape against mother-in-law

The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court recently upheld a rape conviction against a man found guilty of assaulting his mother-in-law, describing the incident as a “shameful act.” Justice G.A. Sanap, presiding over the case, noted that the victim was of an age comparable to the convict’s own mother, and emphasised that the crime had gravely dishonoured her womanhood. In an order passed on Tuesday, the bench stated, “The victim, who could be considered like a mother to the convict, could never have imagined that her own son-in-law would commit such an appalling act, leaving her burdened with this stigma for life.”

Court rejects convict's claims of consent

The court dismissed the convict’s appeal, affirming his 14-year prison sentence as proportionate to the severity of the crime. The convict had previously challenged the March 2022 ruling of a lower court, which had sentenced him for raping his 55-year-old mother-in-law in December 2018. During the appeal, the convict claimed that the relationship was consensual and alleged that he had been falsely accused. However, the High Court rejected his argument, stating, “At 55 years of age, the victim would not impose such an accusation, knowing it would harm her own character.”

Incident highlights disturbing abuse of trust

The incident reportedly took place after the convict’s separation from the victim’s daughter, during which the victim’s grandchildren lived with their father. On the day of the incident, the convict allegedly visited the victim’s home, quarreled with her, and pressured her to help reconcile with his estranged wife. According to the complaint, he persuaded the victim to accompany him to his home but stopped en route to consume alcohol and then assaulted her multiple times. Following the ordeal, the victim disclosed the incident to her daughter and subsequently filed a police report.

The court underscored that if the act had been consensual, the victim would neither have reported it to the police nor informed her daughter, thereby dismissing the convict's claims.