Today, on September 25, 2017, co-director of the film ‘Peepli Live’ Mahmood Farooqui was acquitted by the Delhi High Court, in a rape case of a US researcher, stating that the victim’s testimony was not reliable and directed that Farooqui shall be released forthwith.
The court stated that "Whether such an incident happened, if it has happened, it did happen with the consent of the prosecutrix. This remains in doubt."
Farooqui had denied the allegations and had challenged his conviction and trial court’s sentence where his lawyer argued saying “no such incident took place on that day”, reported Times Of India.
Here is the timeline of the incident:
March 28, 2015 - Mahmood Farooqui was accused of raping a research scholar from Columbia University at his Sukhdev Virar house, South Delhi
June 19, 2015 - The police first lodged a FIR and then arrested Farooqui after woman complained of rape
July 29, 2015 - The police filed a charge sheet against Mahmood
July 30, 2016 - Farooqui was held guilty and was sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment and fine of INR 50,000
August 4, 2016 - A trial court sentenced him to jail for seven years
September 25, 2017 - The Delhi High Court acquits Farooqui