“Filing False Cases Is Abuse Of Law”
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Today, On 6th August, A PIL filed in the Delhi High Court seeks Aadhaar-based identity verification for repeat rape complainants. It argues that false rape cases misuse judicial process, harming the dignity, reputation, and careers of innocent accused persons.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court considered a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) requesting that authorities establish a district-wise police database to track complainants who have filed multiple rape or sexual offence complaints.
The PIL also calls for the mandatory collection of identity proof, ideally Aadhaarfrom these complainants.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela instructed all relevant parties, including the Union of India, the Government of NCT of Delhiand the Delhi Policeto submit their responses.
The PIL was filed by Shonee Kapoor, a men’s rights activist, through Advocate Shashi Ranjan Kumar Singh. The petitioner claims there is widespread abuse of rape laws, citing instances where various complainants have lodged multiple sexual offence complaints against different individuals.
The plea highlights that many accused individuals are being acquitted due to the absence of victims, stating,
“A large number of accused persons facing trial in sexual offences are getting acquitted because of the unavailability of the victims,”
Which it describes as a “grave matter of concern.”
The petition further notes,
“There are also a number of cases that have come in limelight whereby multiple sexual offences complaints have been filed by the same complainants, which creates doubts in the veracity of multiple sexual offences complaints filed by the same complainant.”
It emphasizes that the prosecution lacks a systematic method to track such repeated complaints.
Although a 2012 circular from the Delhi Police mandated that investigating officers gather comprehensive details of victims, the petition points out that many victims filing multiple complaints often alter the spellings of their names, making it difficult for police to track similar complaints.
Referencing a recent Supreme Court ruling, the PIL mentions the quashing of a rape case against a retired Army officer after the court discovered that the complainant had filed eight other similar complaints against various individuals across Delhi.
It also cites a recent order from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which mandated the Director General of Police, Haryana, to direct all Superintendents of Police in the state to keep records of complainants who have filed more than one rape complaint or cases involving alleged honey trap victims, in order to oversee such occurrences and safeguard innocent citizens.
The plea points to a troubling pattern of legal misuse, where complainants repeatedly file similar cases against different people.
It states,
“The filing of large number of false rape cases is the abuse of Process of Law and the judicial process is being misused for personal vendetta, extortion, or coercion, which warrants the interference of this Hon’ble Court. The false allegations cause irreparable damage to personal dignity, respect and career of the accused persons facing trial and investigation for the offence of rape.”
The petitioner claims to have made a representation to the Commissioner of Police on March 3, 2025, but received no reply.
An RTI response dated April 17, 2025, later confirmed that the representation was received and is under consideration by senior officers.
Consequently, the PIL seeks a writ of mandamus directing authorities to implement Aadhaar-based identity verification in such cases and to maintain a record of complainants to prevent misuse of the law and protect innocent individuals from false implications.
Case Title: Shonee Kapoor v. Union of India & Ors.