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Gurugram woman accused of filing nine false rape FIRs gets bail
The high court bench of justice JS Bedi observed that she has been in custody since December 29, 2021, and the investigation is complete. None of the prosecution witnesses have been examined so far, therefore, the trial is not likely to conclude in the near future, the court said adding that further incarceration of the woman was not required as she has already been behind bars for seven months now.
The Gurugram woman, who is accused of filing nine false rape FIRs against at least eight boys, has been granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana high court.
The high court bench of justice JS Bedi observed that she has been in custody since December 29, 2021, and the investigation is complete. None of the prosecution witnesses have been examined so far, therefore, the trial is not likely to conclude in the near future, the court said adding that further incarceration of the woman was not required as she has already been behind bars for seven months now.
The woman had approached the high court on July 21 this year, over an FIR registered on December 23, 2021, in which she was charged with extortion, blackmail, false evidence, criminal conspiracy. Between September 2020 and November 2021, nine rape FIRs had been registered on the complaint of the woman. She was arrested on the complaint of two families whose sons had been falsely implicated in a rape case by her. A documentary filmmaker and activist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj had first brought the case to light.
The woman, in her bail plea, had stated that the boys of her locality, on account of her friendly nature, had got acquainted with her and later, taking undue advantage of the friendship, tried to sexually harass her. It was in these circumstances, that she had got registered a number of FIRs against various boys and their family members, it was claimed.
The government had told the court that the petitioner was a serial complainant against various boys and their family members and as many as nine FIRs have been registered at her instance and in four such FIRs, cancellation reports have been submitted.
The court observed that the allegations against her are serious. However, it may be pointed out that the petitioner is a young woman, aged 21. She has been in custody since December 21 and the investigation stands complete, the court added while granting bail. The woman has also been asked to appear before the police station concerned on the first Monday of every month till the conclusion of the trial. “If any attempt whatsoever is made by the petitioner and/or his family members to contact/threaten/intimidate any of the witnesses of the present occurrence, the state/complainant shall be at liberty to move an application for cancellation of bail,” the court added.
