A sessions court in Maharashtra’s Thane district has discharged a man accused in a 17-year-old case of kidnapping and rape, citing the prolonged delay in trial and the changed circumstances, as the accused had since married the victim.

According to PTI, the court discharged Siddhik Sirajul Raheman Shaikh (39) in connection with a case registered against him in 2008 under sections 366-A (kidnapping) and 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code.