In Brief
A man was convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl who is deaf, dumb, and mentally challenged. The High Court acquitted him because the victim herself had not testified. The Supreme Court restored the conviction, holding that substantial corroborating evidence (the victim's mother's testimony, eyewitness account, the victim's own narrative by gesture, and medical evidence confirming rape) justified conviction despite the victim's inability to testify. The Court also issued directions for all High Courts to establish special centres for examining vulnerable witnesses within three months to better protect such witnesses in sexual offence cases."
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