First information reports (FIR) in cases involving sexual assault and rape of minors are not mere printed papers but have trauma writ large on them and hence should not be dealt with mechanically by courts, the Delhi High Court said in a recent order.
The observations were made by a Bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma that set aside a trial court order which rejected the plea of a minor rape victim for the preservation of CCTV footage and call data record of the accused on the grounds that there was discrepancy in her statements pertaining to the alleged incident.
The victim, 16, was allegedly gang-raped by her brother-in-law and his friends.
