On August 24, the Madhya Pradesh High Court struck down the rape conviction of Sumit, handed down about a decade ago. The “whole trial” that led to his conviction by a sessions court in Dhar “appears to be a farce”, Justice Subodh Abhyankar observed, not least because the police “literally slept over the forensic reports”. The result was that the real culprit was never caught and Sumit, now 43, ended up being locked away for 10 years. It was a “sheer injustice” not only to Sumit, the judge noted, but also to the victim “whose culprit has never been caught or has walked free today by the order of this court”.

The victim was Arthi. Sumit’s stepmother. She was 26 years old.

Arthi was found dead in a field in Dhar’s Kukshi area on January 17, 2011. Her body was battered beyond immediate recognition, head smashed in. “Her blouse was above her breasts, her petticoat was above her waist and her underwear was on her stomach,” the high court’s ruling recalls. In her clenched fist was a lock of hair and a blood-stained stone lay nearby.

The autopsy found wounds on Arthi’s right ear, a bruise on her head, tears on her lips, fractures in the face, two missing teeth, several broken bones, and damage to the brain. There was “no injury” to her vagina, however, so “no definite opinion can be given regarding the rape”. Nevertheless, her vaginal swabs were collected for forensic testing.

The police quickly settled on Sumit as the suspect, arrested him…