Agra: : A Pocso court in Etah has convicted a 43-year-old woman for falsely accusing her husband of raping their 16-year-old daughter and sending him to jail in 2019. Special judge Narendra Pal Rana observed that “misuse of protective legal provisions cannot be tolerated under any circumstances”, and sentenced the woman to 30 days of rigorous imprisonment. The court also imposed a penalty of Rs 500, non-payment of which would result in an additional seven days in jail.Additional district govt counsel (ADGC) Shri Krishna Yadav told TOI that the case dates back to Sept 4, 2019, when the woman lodged a police complaint against her husband, then 40, accusing him of raping their daughter. An FIR was subsequently registered under IPC section 376 (rape) and provisions of POCSO Act, following which he was arrested.The accused filed a bail plea stating that the case was “fabricated due to political conspiracy”, but his application was rejected due to the sections invoked in the case and he was sent to jail for nearly 18 months.A chargesheet was filed in Oct 2019 and investigation during trial revealed that the woman had leveled the allegations against him over a family dispute, particularly disagreements over getting their minor daughter married. The man was acquitted by the court this Jan and separate proceedings were initiated against the woman under section 22 (punishment for false complaint or false information) of POCSO Act.Calling the woman’s actions “highly condemnable”, the court on Thursday convicted her, stating that she misused the law for personal vendetta and “used her daughter as a pawn”. It also stressed that “illiteracy cannot be cited as a defense in such serious offences.”(With inputs from Vikas Dubey in Etah)
