Woman files false sexual-assault case; sentenced to 2 months' imprisonment
A Kolkata court has sentenced a woman to two months' imprisonment for falsely accusing a barber of sexually assaulting her 8-year-old daughter. During the examination of witnesses in the case earlier this week, the woman had admitted in the court that she had leveled false allegations against the man under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Woman filed complaint against barber in June
The woman had lodged a complaint at Kolkata's Phoolbagan police station in June that the barber sexually assaulted her 8-year-old daughter while giving her a haircut. The man, who is in his 40s, was arrested following the complaint and was in custody since then.
Woman admits she made false allegations against the barber
During the trial before the Special Judge (P) Jimut Bahan Biswas at Sealdah Court, when the mother of the child was being questioned as a witness, the woman said she had made false allegations against the man, public prosecutor Vivek Sharma said. She admitted before the court that she had also made the allegations in a confidential statement made before a magistrate.
Court sentences woman to two months in jail
The woman, however, did not tell the court the reason for leveling the false charges against the barber. The judge acquitted the man of all charges and ordered his release. The judge then initiated proceedings against the woman and sentenced her to two months in jail for bringing the false charges against the man, who had also been behind bars for over two months.
Upto 6 months' jail under POCSO Act for fake charges
Sharma said that under the POCSO Act, there is a provision of sentencing a person up to six months in jail for bringing false charges. The woman was taken into custody and sent to a correctional home in Kolkata.
