E-Paper
HC imposes ₹1 lakh fine on Moga woman for fake rape allegation
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed a penalty of ₹1 lakh on a Moga woman for levelling fake rape allegation against a local Congress leader
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed a penalty of ₹1 lakh on a Moga woman for levelling fake rape allegation against a local Congress leader.
The bench of justice HNS Gill said the “proceedings initiated are false and frivolous and it is clear that an attempt was made not only to abuse the process of law but also overawe the authorities”.
The court said it was a fit case for imposing an exemplary cost upon the complainant, a health department employee, who was directed to pay the fine amount to the Institute for the Blind, Sector 26, in Chandigarh.
The FIR was registered against Congress leader Varun Joshi on June 2, 2020.
She alleged that Joshi used to visit her office and eventually started raping her. She also claimed that her mother paid ₹4 lakh to the accused who started demanding more money saying he had objectionable photos of her.
The woman moved the high court seeking a CBI probe into the matter after the police probe gave Joshi a clean chit. In June last year, the HC directed the police to record her statement. In October, the director general of police (DGP) was asked to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) which called for cancellation of the FIR.
The SIT claimed that the woman and Joshi were in a consensual relationship and the dispute arose only when her husband came to know of this. The matter escalated to the extent of divorce and this is when the woman approached the police, the SIT concluded.
The call location of the woman and the accused were different on the day of the alleged rape, it was found. Besides, the two stayed together in a hotel on different dates with the woman’s consent for which the hotel manager also testified, the court was told.
