Woman gets 5-yr jail term for fake rape case against hubby

CHENNAI: A city-based woman, who falsely accused her estranged husband of raping their minor daughter and even went to the extent of creating false records to substantiate her allegation, was convicted and awarded five years in jail.

Passing the verdict, the Special Court for Exclusive Trial of Cases under Pocso Act also slapped Rs 6,000 on the 39-year-old woman. In 2018, the woman approached the city police commissionerate alleging that her husband sexually abused their elder daughter, then aged only 14, and impregnated her. The complaint was forwarded to the Kilpauk all-women police station, and the officials there initiated a probe. During the inquiry, the woman told the police that her daughter used to fall sick often and also complained of urinary problems. She took the child to a few hospitals and her urine sample was tested at a lab in Kilpauk. She gave the officials a copy of the report and the doctor’s statement confirming the allegation.

Based on these, the police registered a case invoking the relevant sections of the Pocso Act. Following this, the man moved the Madras High Court claiming that it was a false case and sought anticipatory bail. During the hearing, his counsel said the man had petitioned the family court seeking a divorce, which led to the false allegation.

The counsel proved before the court that the woman fabricated the urine test result and doctor’s statement, as she had worked in the same lab earlier. After confirming the truth of the matter by recording the daughter’s statement, the court not only quashed the case in August 2019, but also directed the police to register a case under the Pocso Act and IPC. A detailed investigation by the police found that the woman raised the allegation to take revenge upon her husband. After the hearing, special judge M Rajalakshmi found her guilty and awarded her five-year imprisonment.