SC clears man of rape-charges after Khap falsely implicates him
The Supreme Court has put an end to a three-year-long ordeal of Ravi, a Dalit from Baghpat district of UP, by clearing him of rape charges. 28-year-old Ravi was accused of raping a Jat woman, with whom he had eloped and gotten married. He was also accused of illegally keeping drugs. Seeking eye-for-eye justice, the Khap Panchayat had earlier ordered Ravi's sisters to be raped and paraded naked.
Ravi's love story turns into a nightmare for his sisters
Ravi's love for a Jat woman, who was earlier forcefully married, was seen as a crime by the Khap- a council having no legal jurisdiction. The Khap ordered raping Ravi's sisters, looted his house; driving the family out of the village. The sisters approached the Supreme Court seeking justice in September 2015, and the court ordered an investigation by a special team.
Amnesty International stepped in to help Ravi's sisters
Amnesty International ran a petition to help the girls and slammed the Khap. Their website quoted, "More often than not these unelected village councils are made up of older men from dominant castes, who prescribe rules for social behavior and interaction in villages."
Investigating team unearths Ravi was falsely implicated
Ravi was jailed for three-and-a-half months before being granted bail on September 16, 2015. UP's additional advocate general Aishwarya Bhati also told the top court bench headed by Justice Chelameswar at a hearing on April 5, 2018, that there was no evidence on drug charges. The bench ordered the state police to file a closure report. The 'rape-victim' also denied sexual assault by Ravi.
