A Delhi court acquitted the man who was charged with raping the woman, holding the woman’s complaint false and inconsistent. The judge directed perjury proceedings, emphasizing the irreparable harm that false allegations do to reputations.
New Delhi:
In a landmark judgment, a Delhi court has acquitted a man who was accused of rape and directed the lodging of perjury proceedings against the woman for giving a false case.
Additional Sessions Judge Anuj Agrawal, who pronounced the judgment on April 4, said that it takes a lifetime to create a reputation, but “only a few lies can destroy it.” The case involved charges that the accused had raped the woman at a hotel in the capital on the intervening night of November 23–24, 2019.
Reviewing evidence, the court held that the woman had made a “baseless story of rape and threat.” It observed that the complainant had made at least six such rape and molestation cases against various other persons in the past and was allegedly “in the habit of making false complaints of molestation and eve-teasing,” as Delhi Police records indicated.
Emphasizing “inherent contradictions” in the woman’s testimony, the judge stated, “The circumstances, viewed cumulatively, irresistibly point to the conclusion that the victim entrapped the accused in a premeditated manner.” This was also substantiated by defence witnesses who deposed that the woman had reportedly asked for ₹7 lakh in exchange for withdrawing her charges and facilitating the man’s bail.
The court underlined that the judiciary should function as “healers” dispensing justice, not just arbiters of innocence or guilt.
“The term ‘aggrieved’ cannot be limited to complainants alone. There could be situations where even the accused are the true sufferers, appearing before the court seeking justice for themselves,” the judge observed.
He further stated that a mere acquittal was not enough to recompense the accused for the trauma experienced during the trial, particularly for a crime as grave as rape.
Quoting the gravity of making false charges, the court directed that proceedings for perjury be instituted against the woman, sending a strong message regarding accountability in cases of false accusations.
