Rajgarh: A sessions court in Rajgarh district has acquitted councillor Shafiq Ansari of rape charges, ruling that the allegations against him were false and motivated by revenge.
In a landmark judgment, the court found that the complainant had fabricated the accusations after Ansari lodged a complaint about encroachment, which led to the demolition of her house.
Case background
The case dates back to 2021, with a police complaint filed on 4 February that year. The complainant alleged that 55-year-old Ansari lured her to his home under the pretext of helping arrange her son’s wedding and then raped her.
Ten days after the rape complaint, local authorities demolished Ansari’s home, worth Rs 2 crore, leaving his family of seven destitute. His son, Mohammad Ehsan, and his brother, Iqbal, were also charged with aiding his escape.
Court ruling
After nearly four years of proceedings, first additional sessions Judge Chitrendra Singh Solanki delivered the final judgment on Friday, 14 February, dismissing the rape charges. The judge stated that no medical or documentary evidence had been presented to support the allegations.
The court further noted that the complainant’s account lacked credibility, highlighting her delay in reporting the alleged crime. According to court records, she waited 15 days before informing her family about the alleged assault.
“The prosecution has completely failed to prove that the accused, Shafiq Ansari, wrongfully confined the woman inside his house, committed rape, or threatened to kill her. Additionally, the woman has not provided any satisfactory reason for the delay in informing her husband or reporting the case to the police,” the judgment stated.
The court concluded that Ansari’s complaint about land encroachment, which led to the demolition of the woman’s house, prompted her to falsely accuse him in retaliation.
Ansari was acquitted of all charges under Sections 342, 376, and 506 Part-2 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
Ansari’s response
Following the court’s decision, Ansari expressed his intention to seek compensation for the loss of his home. Speaking to reporters, he tearfully recounted how he had built the house with his life savings.
He claimed that he was targeted for his active opposition to drug trafficking in his neighbourhood and lamented the impact the ordeal had on his family.
“The woman filed a false complaint against me out of revenge. I was not served any notice, and my home was demolished at 7 am. The police did this to pressure me into surrendering. I will be filing an appeal against the demolition soon. After being released on bail, I had to live at my brother’s house. Now, I have shifted to my ancestral home,” he said.
“The woman filed a false complaint against me out of revenge. I was not served any notice, and my home was demolished at 7 am. This was done by the police to mount pressure on me to surrender. I am going to file an appeal against the demolition soon. I had to live at my brother’s home after I came out on bail. Now I have shifted to my ancestral home. My whole family suffered because of this case,” Ansari was quoted by The Indian Express.
