KOLKATA: A 25-year-old woman, who falsely accused a neighbour of molestation and attempted rape has been charged with perjury and sentenced to a month in jail by the Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) of Bolpur in Birbhum. The woman has now moved an appeal in Calcutta high court which stayed the operation of the order for 10 weeks.

The woman claimed that on March 15 this year, when she was alone in her house, one Ram Sardar grabbed her from behind and attempted to rape her. When she raised an alarm, people rushed to the scene and Sardar attempted to flee. The woman's brother-in-law allegedly tried to grab him but the accused assaulted him and fled. Based on her complaint before the ACJM of Bolpur, the Nanoor police station registered a case against Sardar on April 3. He was arrested and charged with attempt to rape.

Trouble started once ADSJ Manas Basu started examining the witnesses, including the alleged victim. The court was taken aback when she deposed that she had lodged the complaint against Sardar as there was pressure upon her from the parapeople. She claimed that Sardar is a good and well behaved person and the contents of the written complaint are false. Even her brother-in-law, who she claimed had attempted to grab the accused, deposed before the court that he did nothing of that sort and had no information of the incident. In fact, none of the witnesses corroborated the facts as stated by the woman in her initial complaint.

Finally, on June 28, 2013, the ADSJ dropped all charges against Sardar and set him free. The judge was so displeased with the matter though that he moved a suo motu case against the woman, charging her with perjury for lying under oath under Section 344 of the CrPC.

"Considering the present position of the society and the anxiousness of the hon'ble apex court regarding atrocities on women, it is very relevant that women should not use the courts as their machine of blackmailing innocent people. The court must not be the puppet in the hands of the unscrupulous people. The legislation has made provisions to prevent such practices which must be adopted by the courts in appropriate cases. This court gave reasonable opportunity to the accused at the time of the evidence and is now setting the law in its course as admitted facts need to be proved (Chapter III of the Indian Evidence Act). The accused is found guilty under Section 344 of the CrPC for giving false evidence,"" the judge noted in his order.

The woman moved an appeal in the high court through counsel Phiroze Edulji and Sanjib Kumar Dam . The lawyers submitted that their client had not been given reasonable opportunity of showing cause why she should not be punished for such offence. Justice Asim Kumar Roy, after hearing the plea on Monday, stayed the operation of the order for 10 weeks.