A British journalist violently raped by the manager of a guest house in Udaipur two years ago heaved a sigh of “huge relief” on Friday when the Supreme Court (SC) cancelled the bail granted to the convict by the Rajasthan high court (HC).
SC directed Rajasthan Police to arrest Parbat Singh, then manager of Pardesi Guest House in Udaipur’s Ambamata region.
A fast-track court had awarded life to Parbat in May last year. However in July, HC granted him bail.
The victim’s counsel Vikram Chowdhary contested the HC order, saying it had wrecked the victim psychologically and shattered her spirits. “Such an order would seriously erode India’s image as a tourist destination,” he said.
“It’s a huge relief. It gives me a bit of space to breathe because I have been fighting in a courtroom for a year. That doesn’t sound like a long time in Indian justice, but a year is quite a fight,” the victim said. “It’s not about being a foreigner and a tourist, but about justice for any woman. I’m relieved he will be back behind bars and not working with tourists.”
German victim deposes
Chandigarh: A German woman, who was gang-raped here last year, deposed before a local court for the first time on Friday. She was accompanied by a German embassy official from New Delhi.
