The conviction of Mahmood Farooqui is unjust, asserts Anusha Rizvi
Delhi: Anusha Rizvi, wife of convicted filmmaker Mahmood Farooqui has vociferously spoken out in favour of her disgraced husband. She called the conviction unjust and revealed that an appeal to secure justice will be made in the High court.
Farooqui had been sentenced to seven years in jail with an additional 50,000 rupees by Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain on the 30th of July for having raped a 35-year-old woman from Columbia University, who’d been in India for research on her doctoral thesis.
Reacting on her Facebook page, Rizvi said, "Independent record makes the charge of 'forced oral sex' against Mahmood Farooqui simply impossible. The conviction is unjust for it ignores irrefutable evidence on the most flimsy grounds.
"Indeed, it appears that the Judge has given more than the benefit of the doubt to the prosecution but has expected the defence to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. We shall appeal the judgment."
"Lives and reputations are irretrievably lost when there is denial of justice, but our fight for rightful exoneration continues. I firmly believe that we will secure justice in the High Court", she added.
The American woman, who had moved to Delhi in June, 2014, had been in touch with Farooqui to gather contacts for her work in Gorakhpur. The incident in question had occurred on March 28, 2015, when Farooqui had invited the woman over for dinner.
According to the police charge sheet, the woman, who reached his house around 9, was greeted by a heavily inebriated Farooqui, who after a brief interaction, forced himself upon her. The research scholar stood her ground during trial and alleged rape, which were vehemently denied by Farooqui who cited a false implication.
"The complainant is consummately discredited by independent call and cab company records which were presented in court. The defence team has adhered to all feminist principles during the trial and no aspersions on the complainant's character were ever cast by the defence.
"The complainant and the prosecution argued that retribution is a public cry and that the nation would fall into disrepute if enhanced penalty was not awarded in a case where the complainant is a foreigner. Fortunately, the court has ignored this outrageous argument”, Rizvi said, ruminating on the trial.
Anusha had co-directed the critically acclaimed Aamir Khan production ‘Peepli Live’ with husband Mahmood Farooqui in 2010.
