In a sensational development, Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja on Wednesday was held guilty by a fast track sessions court of raping his domestic maid and sentenced to seven years in jail.
The sentence came despite Shiney’s maid servant earlier having retracted from her complaint during deposition. Soon after the judgement, delivered in-camera, 38-year old Shiney broke down. His wife Anupam, who had defended him from the outset, consoled him. The actor was then taken to jail in a police escort.
Shiney was immediately arrested and was charged with rape, criminal intimidation and holding his maid hostage. He faces a maximum punishment of up to 10 years. The principal sessions judge P M Chouhan did not rely on the victim's retraction of complaint during the later stage of court proceedings. He relied mainly upon the FIR in the case, the actor’s lawyer Shrikant Shivde said.
The Ahujas had hired an 18-year-old maid servant. She complained on June 14, 2009 that she had been raped by Shiney while his wife was away. She later lodged a compliant with the Oshiwara police station. DNA tests on the girl confirmed the rape.
Initially, the actor denied the charges but, later on, in his bail application he admitted to having sex with the maid claiming it to be consensual one.
In September last year, the victim suddenly backtracked from her stand during her deposition. She told the court that the rape incident never occured and she framed the actor. But the court declined to accept her evidence. The judge felt that she had given false evidence either under duress or allurement.