Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — 55-year-old Shafiq Ansari was acquitted of the rape charges four years after he was booked, jailed and his house was demolished following the allegations levelled by a woman in Madhya Prades’s Rajgarh district.
While acquitting Ansari, the court said that the woman levelled the rape allegation against him as her house was demolished on the complaint of Ansari.
“The prosecution has completely failed to prove the fact that on 04.02.2021 between 22:30 and 22:50 hrs., accused Shafiq “wrongfully confined” the prosecutrix inside his house situated at Ward No. 3, Amankhel Sarangpur under Police Station Sarangpur area and prevented her from moving in any direction and committed “rape” by having sexual intercourse with her without her consent or against her will and caused “criminal intimidation” by threatening to kill the prosecutrix with the intention of causing terror and accused Iqbal and Mohammad Ehsan knowing or having reason to believe that Shafiq is a criminal, sheltered him with the intention of shielding him from legal punishment and with the intention of frightening the public servant Sub-Inspector Virendra Dhakad and accompanying police personnel from discharging the legal duty of arresting accused Sharif. By voluntarily causing obstruction in the way, he has caused “wrongful obstruction” and used “criminal force”. Consequently, accused Shafiq is acquitted of the charges under sections 342, 376, 506 Part-2 Indian Penal Code, 1860 and accused Iqbal and Mohammad Ehasan are acquitted of the charges under sections 341, 353 and 212 Indian Penal Code, 1860.,” noted Judge Chitrendra Singh Solanki in a judgement delivered on 14 February.
In March 2021, Ansari, who was the councillor from Sarangpur area in Rajgarh district, was booked by the local police. His son and brother were also booked and arrested on the charges of obstructing the officials from carrying out their duties. Later in March 2022, his expensive house was demolished by the authorities alleging that the house was built without following the legal procedures.
Ansari was kept in jail for three months till he was granted bail by the Indore High Court. His son and brother were also released on bail.
Speaking to Clarion India, Ansari said that the rape allegation and the demolition of his house damaged his reputation and caused a lot of trouble.
“I was deeply distressed due to this case. I suffered mentally and economically. My family also was in trouble. We were rendered homeless due to the house demolition. We had stopped going to anywhere and attending the marriage function. My reputation was damaged,” he said.
However, he had got massive support from local people as they were aware about the false allegations. That’s why, his wife won as a councillor in the municipal elections held in July 2022.
“It gives impression that the people believe that the rape allegations levelled against me is false. It gives us a courage. People helped me to win the elections and defeated our rivals. My wife won the elections with highest margin,” said Ansari.
When it comes to the rape allegations, judge Solanki noted that the victim’s presence at the accused Ansari’s house at the relevant time is itself doubtful. The claim of the accused establishing sexual with the victim is not corroborated by medical or scientific evidence. The victim has not provided any satisfactory reason for delaying informing her husband about the incident or for the delay in filing the report.
“This suggests that the victim filed the rape report against Shafiq Ansari due to the demolition of her house. Consequently, it is not proved that the accused, Shafiq Ansari, wrongfully restrained the victim, raped her, or threatened to kill her with the intent to cause terror,” noted the judgment.
