SC dismisses plea of rape survivor from Kerala to marry her assaulter, a defrocked priest

Supreme Court of India. File Pic

The Supreme Court Monday dismissed the plea of a rape survivor from Kottiyoor, Kerala, who moved the Supreme Court seeking permission to marry her assaulter - a defrocked priest who is now undergoing 20 years imprisonment.

The top court also dismissed a separate plea of the defrocked priest seeking bail on the ground that he wanted to marry the survivor, who was a minor at the time of rape and had given birth to a child.

A bench of Justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari told the former priest, "The high court has taken a decision consciously and we would not like to interfere with its finding".

It told the victim that she may knock on the door of trial court with her plea to marry the former priest.

Advocate Amit George, appearing for the former priest, said the high court had passed sweeping directions in the case with regard to the marriage, which is a fundamental right.

The bench asked George what is the age of the victim and the former priest to which he replied that he is 49, while the rape survivor is around 25.

The top court told George, "you yourself have invited sweeping directions from the high court and it would not like to interfere".

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