Pheruddin Khan, a married man with three children living in Delhi, fell in love with his business associate only to be accused of rape by the woman after the two spent eight years together.

Pheruddin, 31, has faced not one, but two rape allegations by his lover and spent 15 months in jail.

After five years of an arduous legal battle, he was acquitted in both the cases and set free this year. He was only 18 when he met Bano (name changed), six years older than him. She has also mothered her first daughter.

He is happy to be set free but is struggling to come to terms with the fact that he was accused of raping the woman who he once loved.

While he got a reprieve in the first case within a year in 2012, he had to wait for over three years to get a clean chit from court in the second case.

When Mail Today spoke to the complainant, she admitted to have filed a wrong case and said, "I know I was wrong but it I did it in an act of rage."

The court while acquitting Pheruddin in its judgement mentioned that the complainant had given different statements that had numerous contradictions and inconsistencies, which remain unexplained. The court also observed that considering the veracity of such cases, men implicated in false cases be called "rape case survivor".

Judge Nivedita Anil Sharma while acquitting the man said, "No one discusses the dignity and honour of a man. All are fighting for the rights, honour and dignity of women. Laws for protection of women are being made, which may be misused by a woman but where is the law to protect a man, where he is being persecuted and implicated in false cases. Perhaps, now is the time to take a stand for a man."

Pheruddin, who runs a business of construction material, says he faced heavy financial losses, besides having to deal with the dent on his reputation. His family, who stood with him also suffered in his absence. "My wife had to take a loan of Rs 6 lakh to meet daily expenses. My family had to sell off land to carry out the legal expenditure. Now that I am back, my focus is on repaying the loans and getting back my life on track."

Khan is now spending time with his three children and wife and living with his seven siblings and parents at his Mahipalpur residence

"During the first case, even our neighbours had turned their backs on my family. During the second case, however, I had some support from the neighbours because they realised that I was innocent," he said.

Pheruddin met Bano in 2003 as the two worked together on a construction project. The business partnership eventually turned into a love affair. In 2011, a quarrel broke between the two and she filed the first case against him.

Later she changed her statement, claiming Pheruddin's parents had approached her and apologised for the matter, proposing to settle the matter out of court. In 2013, he had another rape case filed against him by Bano, claiming he had raped her at her Uttam Nagar residence.

"Despite documented evidences, I was denied bail for nine months. I had showed the judgement in which I was acquitted last time, but nobody listened," Khan said.

Hamid Ali, his advocate,said, "The case was a clear matter of consent. The complainant had changed her statements in the first case and in the second case her statements had contradictions."

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Howrah: Woman jumps from third floor to escape rapists, three arrested

