Court calls for law to regulate placement agency, acquits man

New Delhi, June 21: A man has been acquitted of the charge of raping his maid by a Delhi court which said the government should frame a policy or law to regulate placement agencies supplying domestic helps so that proper verification of servants could be done to curb such false cases.

Additional Sessions Judge Nivedita Anil Sharma acquitted Delhi resident Narender Singh observing that the case appears to be a "living example" of placement agency's maid levelling false allegations of rape "out of vengeance" as a theft case was lodged against her by the accused, the son-in law of her employer.

"There are no laws, policies or rules to regulate the placement agencies which supply maids and servants for working in houses. Considering the crying need of the day, it is required that some regulatory law or policy is made by the government and police so that there can be a check on placement agencies and it is made compulsory that police verification of maids and servants who are to be employed in private houses is done before they take up employment," the court said.

The court also directed that a copy of the judgement be sent to secretaries of Ministry of Law and Justice of the Centre and Delhi Government, chairpersons of National Commission for Women and Delhi Commission for Women and Commissioner and additional commissioner (West) of Delhi Police for information purpose.

The 19-year-old maid, who was hired through a placement agency, had alleged that she was raped by Singh in the house of his father-in-law on May 12, 2009 and she was threatened by him not to disclose it to anyone. During the trial, Singh said he was falsely implicated in the matter as a case was lodged against the maid that she had committed theft of the articles belonging to his wife.

He said she had implicated him in the false case as he and his family members had lodged a theft case in which the stolen articles were recovered from the possession of the maid and co-accused Priyanka and Nayar, owner of the placement agency.

PTI