The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently quashed an 18-year-old rape case filed by a woman claiming to be the man’s second wife. The court found the allegations to be frivolous and aimed at exerting pressure to extract money from the man.
Justice Anand Pathak, presiding over the case, observed that the accusations were baseless and intended to manipulate the man for financial gain. The prosecutrix, a 41-year-old woman, had lodged an FIR against 55-year-old Manohar Silawat, alleging that he raped her in May 2001, resulting in pregnancy and the birth of a child. She further claimed that he continued to have physical relations with her and demanded money for her maintenance, threatening her with dire consequences if she refused.
Challenging the FIR and subsequent criminal proceedings under Sections 376 and 506 of the IPC, the petitioner (Manohar Silawat) filed a plea under Section 482 of the CrPC. His counsel argued that both parties belonged to the Scheduled Caste and that, according to their customs, a Natra (a form of social union akin to marriage) was performed with the consent of Silawat’s first wife, allowing him to live with both women.
The counsel also highlighted that the prosecutrix had made these false allegations because Silawat did not transfer his entire property to her. Furthermore, an application under Section 125 of the CrPC had been filed by the prosecutrix in 2019, seeking maintenance and alleging that she was Silawat’s wife who was removed from her matrimonial home.
The court noted that the prosecutrix had lived with Silawat and had a 20-year-old son with him. The complaint was filed after 18 years, raising suspicions about its legitimacy. Justice Pathak remarked that sustaining such false allegations would be a miscarriage of justice and unnecessarily drag the petitioner into litigation.
Consequently, the court quashed the case, bringing relief to Manohar Silawat and ending the long-standing legal battle.
Case
Manohar Silawat vs State of Madhya Pradesh
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