HC asks complainant, accused to pay Rs 25,000 each for 'fake' complaint

The Bombay High Court has directed the Yavatmal police to collect Rs 25,000 each from the complainant and the accused in a "fake" complaint case here in Maharashtra.

The sum of Rs 50,000 so collected from the duo, one of them a Dalit woman, would be credited to the district police's welfare fund, the police said in a statement on Tuesday, citing the recent judgment of the high court's Nagpur bench.

According to police sources, the woman had lodged a complaint at the Arni police station here in January, alleging that a man had sexually exploited her after promising to marry her.

The police had booked the man for rape as also under the relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and arrested him.

However, during investigation, it was found that the woman had lodged a "fake" complaint against the accused, the sources said.

Subsequently, the complainant and the accused moved the high court for cancellation of the FIR, they added.

The court cancelled the FIR, but ordered the complainant and the accused to pay Rs 25,000 each for wasting the precious time of the police in investigating a "fake" case, the statement said.

The court directed the Yavatmal police to collect Rs 25,000 each from the woman and the man, and deposit the same in the police welfare fund, it added.