📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Gyanendra_Singh_Chau…
Crime
Madhya Pradesh High Court Acquits Teerath ‘Chotu Tekam’ in Rape Case Over DNA Mismatch
✍️ Amar Ujala · Jabalpur
🗓 21 Sep 2026, 08:00 AM
👁 15
The Madhya Pradesh High Court set aside a 10‑year rape conviction of Teerath alias Chotu Tekam after DNA tests showed no match with the newborn, citing lack of technical evidence.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday overturned a decade‑long imprisonment awarded to Teerath, also known as Chotu Tekam, in a rape case. The court’s order was based on a DNA analysis that failed to establish a biological link between the accused and the infant born to the victim.
The lower district court had earlier convicted Tekam, sentencing him to ten years’ rigorous imprisonment, after concluding that the child was conceived as a result of the alleged assault.
During the appeal, forensic experts submitted a DNA report indicating that the genetic material of the accused did not match that of the newborn. The bench highlighted the absence of any other technical evidence linking Tekam to the crime and invoked the principle of ‘benefit of doubt’ to acquit him.
Legal observers noted that the verdict underscores the pivotal role of reliable scientific evidence in criminal trials, especially in cases involving sexual violence.
The lower district court had earlier convicted Tekam, sentencing him to ten years’ rigorous imprisonment, after concluding that the child was conceived as a result of the alleged assault.
During the appeal, forensic experts submitted a DNA report indicating that the genetic material of the accused did not match that of the newborn. The bench highlighted the absence of any other technical evidence linking Tekam to the crime and invoked the principle of ‘benefit of doubt’ to acquit him.
Legal observers noted that the verdict underscores the pivotal role of reliable scientific evidence in criminal trials, especially in cases involving sexual violence.