Haridwar, November 19: A 43-year-old man in Uttarakhand was acquitted by the special Pocso court in Haridwar after he spent a year and half in jail for allegedly "raping" his 15-year-old daughter. The court came to the conclusion that "he was falsely implicated by his wife, and that the girl was also involved in the conspiracy".

The court said that investigation has found that the couple had a property dispute and the woman had registered a false case to coerce him into giving her the possession of the land. Moreover, the girl's medical report stated that "there were no marks on her body to indicate that she was sexually assaulted". HC on False FIRs: Women Filing False Cases Under POCSO and SC-ST Act, Using It as a 'Weapon To Grab Money' From the State, Says Allahabad High Court.

TOI reported that the case dates back to November 2021 when n FIR was registered against the accused by his wife at Manglaur police station in Haridwar alleging that her husband had "raped their elder daughter on multiple occasions when she had gone to stay at her brother's house for a month, leaving the kids back at home.” Kerala High Court Quashes Proceedings Under POCSO Act After Man Accused of Sexual Abuse Marries Victim.

She said she came to know about the assault after she returned. In her testimony, the girl supported her mother and said that her father had threatened to kill her if she reported the matter. Police arrested the accused man in May 2022 and sent him to jail.

The couple's younger daughter came in support of her father and told the court that "after her father refused to transfer his land to her mother, the elder sister made a false rape accusation against him on their mother's insistence".

The court after listening to all the arguments said that the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt. “The FIR does not even mention the date of the crime" said the court and ordered immediate release of the man.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 19, 2023 09:26 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).