P.W.7 daughter-in-law that the victim P.W.2 was raped by the appellant. On receipt of the information, P.W.1 returned to native and also approached the appellant to pacify the matter. Initially, the appellant accepted to marry the victim and thereafter, absconded. By the time the victim became pregnant and she was taken to Adukkamparai Government Hospital, Vellore, and subsequently, she delivered a still born baby. Thereafter, when the appellant came back, the mother of the victim again approached him and requested him to marry the victim. But the appellant refused her request stating that he has not committed rape on P.W.2. Later on, she preferred a complaint before the respondent police. On receipt of the complaint, the respondent police registered the case in Crime No.15 of 2013 for offence under Section 452, 376 and 354 IPC read with Section 4 of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act, 2002 and after investigation, laid charge sheet before the learned Judicial Magistrate, Polur. The learned Magistrate committed the case to the learned Principal Sessions Judge, Tiruvannamalai, since the offences are exclusively triable by the Court of Session and the Principal Sessions Judge had taken up the case on file in S.C.No.71 of 2014 and made over the same to the Sessions Judge, Fast Track Mahila Court, Tiruvannamalai, since the offence is against woman. The learned Mahila Judge, after considering the materials, framed charge for offence under Section 376 IPC and after completing trial, found the appellant guilty and convicted and sentenced as stated above. Challenging the same, the appellant has filed the present appeal.
