‘No self-respecting woman would claim rape unless it occurred’: Punjab High Court

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has upheld the 2005 conviction of Dera head Dhanwant Singh for allegedly raping his disciple's daughter in 2000. The court observed that "no self-respecting woman would come forward in a court to make a humiliating statement against her honour just to state herself as a rape victim unless the incident happened to her."

The court also awarded Rs 6 lakh compensation to the victim and declined her plea to enhance the 10-year rigorous imprisonment to life imprisonment. The victim's family were devout followers of Singh, who was a religious preacher at the Dera. The court noted that rape is a crime committed within the confines of a room and cannot be corroborated by witnesses, as there would be no one to witness such an offence.