Telangana High Court acquits Army colonel in 2017 rape case

In a dramatic turn, the Telangana High Court has acquitted Colonel Rishi Sharma, overturning his conviction in a 2017 rape case that had drawn wide attention.

- TG NAIDU @Hyderabad

The bench of Justice P Sam Koshy and Justice N Tukaramji delivered a sharply worded judgment, pointing to critical flaws in the prosecution's case, including contradictory witness accounts and a complete lack of medical substantiation.

Colonel Sharma had been sentenced to life imprisonment by a special fast-track court, accused of raping the daughter of a close friend, then a minor under his guardianship, while her mother was reportedly away on official travel in January 2017. The case came to light months later, when the girl's pregnancy was allegedly discovered.