Deaf-Mute Victim Testifies with Doll, Relative Gets Life Imprisonment Until Death

• Chhattisgarh High Court sentenced a relative to 'life imprisonment until death' for raping a deaf-mute woman.
• The victim, 20, testified using gestures and a plastic doll, which the High Court deemed entirely reliable.
• The incident occurred on July 29, 2020, in Balod district; the accused, Neelam Kumar Deshmukh, raped her when she was alone.
• Medical and forensic reports corroborated the crime, leading to the conviction under Sections 376(2) and 450.
• The court also imposed a fine of 21,000 rupees on the convict, emphasizing that testimony via gestures is valid evidence.