Mumbai: Bollywood singer Ankit Tiwari has been acquitted by Mumbai sessions court from the charges of rape. A model had levelled allegation against Mr Tiwari, saying that he repeatedly raped her on several occasions between 2012 and 2013. She also alleged that Mr Tiwari had promised to marry her.

On December 19, 2015, a sessions court in Mumbai had framed charges against Tiwari under the section of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for rape, giving false promise of marriage, cheating and criminal intimidation.

Mr Tiwari had moved the high court but his petition was sent him back to the sessions court. His discharge application was also rejected by the sessions court.

According to the source, the victim appeared twice before the court and was declared as hostile by the prosecution for not standing by her statement given to the police. Senior counsel, Rizwan Merchant, representing Mr Tiwari, told The Asian Age, “Prosecution has failed to prove the charges of rape against Tiwari.”