Over 43% of rape cases filed in Gurugram in 5-yr period pertain to false promise of marriage: RTI

Of 955 cases filed between 2020 and 2024, 236 of the total cases were cancelled, indicating they were false cases as allegations were found unsubstantiated during the investigation

Gurugram

An RTI query filed with Gurugram police found that 43.6% of rape cases filed between 2020 ad 2024 were specifically related to “false promise of marriage”, categorised as a deciding factor of rape under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). (HT Illustration)

An RTI query filed with Gurugram police found that 43.6% of rape cases filed between 2020 ad 2024 were specifically related to “false promise of marriage”, categorised as a deciding factor of rape under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and a quarter of the total cases filed were later cancelled by the police due to false allegations.

According to police data, 955 cases of rape were filed between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2024, across police stations in Gurugram. Of these, 417 cases were related to false promise of marriage, the reply to an RTI query filed by activist and documentary filmmaker Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj found. HT accessed a copy of the response.

The data further said that 236 of the total cases were cancelled, indicating they were false cases as allegations were found unsubstantiated during the investigation. However, legal action was initiated only in 96 false cases, activists said, pointing to a lack of deterrence that may adversely impact investigation in genuine cases.

Petitioner Bhardwaj, a men’s rights activist and founder of the Ekam Nyaay Foundation, said: “We are seeing a pattern where consensual relationships that later sour are weaponised as rape allegations under the false promise of marriage. This is not only an abuse of the law but is also harming genuine survivors and overburdening the justice system.”

Misuse of law

Legal experts say the data points to the need for a dual-framework approach—strong support systems for survivors and strict scrutiny of repeat false complainants.

The concern of false cases is echoed at the state level. In a memo dated June 19, 2024—sent to sent to all police commissioners and superintendents of police (SPs) across the state—the Director General of Police, Haryana, acknowledged the pattern of repeated false rape allegations by individual complainants. The memo urged officers to take “necessary action against the complainants who have filed many false rape cases” to uphold the integrity of rape laws.

Susheela, assistant commissioner of police (headquarters, crime against women), said: “A decade ago, the situation was different, but now, laws are being misused blatantly due to which we have changed our investigation pattern in such kinds of cases. Social media leaves enough evidence to expose a truth.”

Bhardwaj said her foundation recently helped expose a woman in Gurugram who filed nine rape complaints against different men within the span of a year. “The police arrested her last year, and another case involving a honeytrap gang, wherein a police officer was also targeted, further illustrates the depth of this misuse,” she said.

Activists argued that while a few false cases are being acted upon, the systemic response remains tepid. “Even in proven false cases, we’re seeing that barely 40% are leading to prosecution under IPC 182 (false information with intent to cause harm). This emboldens more misuse,” Bhardwaj said.

Policing challenges

Officers investigating rape complaints said that they have to take a balanced approach, as they have to ascertain the gravity of the complaint, as well as give those accused of the crime a chance to rebut the allegations.

ACP Susheela said that they strictly comply with Supreme Court directions in such cases, by giving a fair chance to the accused to produce all kinds of evidence, including electronic ones, such as WhatsApp chats, over complaints of rape on pretext of marriage or rape in live-in relationships.

“If we find that the allegations are false, we don’t register the case at all. In case an FIR is registered, and it is found in the course of the investigation that allegations don’t have any merit, we write to the court for cancellation of the FIR and urge for action against the complainant,” she said.

The ACP said that in multiple cases, police have urged the court to take action against women who filed false cases.

Bhardwaj said: “This is not about discrediting genuine survivors. It’s about ensuring our laws are not misused to ruin innocent lives under the guise of justice.”