' Victim' in Rape Cases Is a Myth; Women Respond to Trauma in Different Ways: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court, in a landmark judgment on August 6, 2026, has challenged the long-held belief that victims of sexual assault must behave in a specific, stereotypical manner to be believed by courts. The Court, while convicting Tarun Tejpal in a 2013 rape case, emphasized that women deal with trauma in different ways, and their conduct post-incident should not be a basis for doubting their testimony. The Court made…