Jammu, May 13 -- A Kishtwar court has acquitted a man accused in an alleged abduction and rape case, observing that the prosecution failed to establish charges beyond reasonable doubt and that the investigation suffered from "serious lapses". The judgment was delivered by the court of principal sessions judge, Kishtwar, Sudhir Kumar Khajuria, in connection with an FIR registered under Sections 376 (punishment of rape), 366 (kidnapping a woman), 498 (enticing or taking away or detaining with a criminal intent a married woman) and 343 (Wrongful confinement for three or more days) of the Indian Penal Code at Chatroo police station, in 2021. According to the prosecution, in June 2021 a married woman was travelling to her parental home when the accused, known to her through her husband, offered her water allegedly laced with an intoxicating substance, causing her to lose consciousness and was repeatedly sexually assaulted for several days in a forest area. The complaint was lodged by husband when the woman did not reach her destination. She was later recovered from Batote, following which the accused was arrested. During the course of trial, the prosecution mainly relied upon testimonies of the victim's husband, prosecutrix and her father. However, after examining the material placed on record, the court noted several inconsistencies and deficiencies in the prosecution case which, according to the judge, created serious doubt regarding the allegations. The court observed that although the prosecutrix was allegedly recovered from Batote, no proper record regarding the role of police officials there or the circumstances under which she reached the police station had been produced. It further noted that the alleged place of occurrence was never properly identified or inspected during the investigation. The court further cited several serious investigative lapses. The court pointed out that the vehicle allegedly used in the commission of the offence was neither identified nor traced during the investigation. Reiterating the settled legal principle that criminal charges must be proved beyond reasonable doubt, the court held that the prosecution evidence lacked sufficient corroboration and reliability. It observed that when material witnesses remain unexamined, the alleged scene of occurrence is not established, and investigation remains incomplete, a conviction cannot be sustained merely on the basis of allegations. The court extended the benefit of doubt to the accused and acquitted him of all charges....