The Court, however, acquitted the third accused Vikas Garg giving him the benefit of doubt.
A bench of Justices Tejinder Singh Dhindsa and Pankaj Jain said that the survivor was denied basic dignity and compassion by the two accused which was evident from WhatsApp chats between the accused and the survivor.
The Court noted that the girl was continuously burdened by the pressure of accused Hardik Sikri and Karan Chhabra, who often forced her to send her nude pictures.
“The whole chat demonstrates the bawdiness with which the prosecutrix was treated by Hardik. She was not only abused and bruised but was denied even basic dignity to which a living creature is entitled to, leave aside the courtesy and compassion that a human being offers to a fellow. It is evident from the chat that she was in a quagmire. She was noosed and the dilemma that she was facing was not only to keep the noose loose but also to conceal it. Whole of the time she was carrying the burden of the diabolical designs of the accused,” the bench observed in its order passed on September 30.
Source: Barandbench
