Moti Lal v. State of M.P

In Moti Lal v. State of M.P., the appellant raped a woman while she was guarding her husband’s agricultural field. The woman, a member of a Scheduled Caste, and her husband filed a police report. He was arrested and convicted under §§ 450 and 376(1) of the Indian Penal Code and § 3(1)(xii) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. On appeal to the Supreme Court, he argued that the prosecution relied too heavily on the victim’s uncorroborated testimony. The Court dismissed the appeal, noting the stigma and trauma associated with rape, and reaffirmed that Indian courts presume the truthfulness of a rape victim’s testimony if it is credible, without requiring further corroboration. The conviction and sentence were upheld.

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