E-Paper
Ludhiana: Labourer acquitted in two gang-rape cases
The court found that the statements made by the woman were motivated, leading to the acquittal of the labourer, Lallan Shah, and four other individuals
A 58-year-old labourer, who had spent years in jail, was acquitted by a court here in two gang-rape cases lodged by the same woman.
The court found that the statements made by the woman were motivated, leading to the acquittal of the labourer, Lallan Shah, and four other individuals.
However, one accused who was never arrested has been declared a proclaimed offender by the court.
The labourer expressed hope that the court’s decision would help restore his honour as he had been unjustly seen as a perpetrator for many years.
The series of events began when a 20-year-old woman went missing on March 26, 2017. Her mother filed a complaint with the police on April 14, 2017, alleging that an unidentified man had abducted her daughter. The Shimlapuri police registered an FIR against an unidentified accused under section 363 of the IPC. Subsequently, the woman filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, accusing a man named Pawan Kumar of abducting her daughter. The court’s intervention led to the police booking Pawan Kumar, and on June 24, 2017, the abducted woman was recovered and the accused was arrested.
However, the situation took a peculiar turn when the rescued woman stated in court that she had willingly gone with Pawan Kumar and had even entered into a marriage with him. She was then sent to a protective home in Jalandhar.
Further complicating the matter, the woman later recorded a statement in court accusing Pawan and another man named Pankaj of raping her. As a result, the police added section 376 D of IPC to the case. During the trial, the woman accused Lallan Shah, Raj Kumar, Satan Kumar, and Manmohan Yadav. The court summoned them to join the investigation.
The labourer along with others was arrested in 2017. Lallan Shah came out on bail after three years, while Manmohan was granted bail after 10 months and Satan one year.
However, the court observed that the victim frequently changed her statements and did not stand by them in court. Consequently, except for Raj Kumar, who was never arrested, all the accused were acquitted.
The defense counsel during the trial informed the court that the same woman had previously filed a gang-rape case against Lallan Shah, Satan, and Manmohan in 2016. However, the court had acquitted them in that case too. It came to light that the woman harboured a rivalry against them and had attempted to falsely implicate them.
