AHMEDABAD: An insurance agent studied law to fight rape charges levelled by his wife. Acquitted by courts, practising advocate Pankaj Chavda, 37, has now slapped a Rs 50 lakh defamation suit against his wife for implicating him and a friend in a false rape case.

Chavda, who lives in Krishnanagar, was acquitted of rape charges by city sessions court as well as by Gujarat HC – both observing how the woman became a puppet in the hands of her relatives, who wanted to separate the couple.

Harassed with imprisonment and visits to courts during the nine-year legal battle, Chavda decided to pursue law so he could fight his own cases.

Chavda and his 19-year-old neighbour got married in October 2006 at a Hanuman temple in Meghaninagar. They registered their marriage with the registrar’s office and fled to Udaipur and Jaipur for two weeks. Upon returning, Chavda’s wife lodged an FIR against him and his friend Lokesh Sharma, who gave her tuitions.

She wove a story that Sharma first raped her and Chavda blackmailed her and forced her to marry him. Naroda police filed a chargesheet on the basis of her complaint. Both Chavda and Sharma were arrested and sent to judicial custody.

During the trial in 2013, the court refused to believe the prosecution and acquitted Chavda and his friend. The court said, “Rape causes greatest distress and humiliation to the victim, but a false allegation of rape can cause equal distress, humiliation and damage to the accused.” A year later, the HC too junked the prosecution’s appeal and asserted that the victim went with Chavda on her own.

On basis of two acquittal orders, Chavda has filed a defamation suit against his wife and investigating officer Kishor Gelda and Naroda police sub inspector MJ Rathod for falsely framing and defaming him and damaging his reputation.

Chavda’s legal battle continues. Following the defamation notice, Chavda’s wife has moved the family court seeking maintenance .