**Supreme Court Quashes Rape FIR Filed Against Government Employee in Jabalpur**
*Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh):* The Supreme Court (SC) has quashed a rape FIR lodged against a government employee from Jabalpur, ruling that the complaint was an afterthought motivated by vengeance.
The case involves a woman who worked alongside the appellant, Assistant Revenue Inspector Suresh Khawse, as a computer operator in the Suhagi civic body. Khawse had challenged a judgment by the High Court dated January 27, 2025, which had declined to invoke its powers under Section 482 of the CrPC to quash both the FIR and the charge sheet.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and N. Kotiswar Singh observed that the woman, who has a son from a previous marriage, filed the complaint against Khawse only after he had lodged a counter-complaint against her with the municipal authorities.
The bench noted, “The fact that the subject FIR was only lodged after the issuance of a show-cause notice, which obviously has large real-world implications insofar as the complainant is concerned, leaves open a gaping possibility that the same was lodged as an afterthought and was a vehicle for vengeance for the impending consequences.”
According to the case details, Khawse and the woman were colleagues whose friendship developed into a physical relationship. The woman claimed she had informed Khawse that she was married and had a son, to which he allegedly responded by assuring her that they would eventually marry.
Based on the promise of marriage, the woman filed the FIR on October 13, 2023. However, Khawse had already filed a complaint at the Adhartaal police station in Jabalpur on April 24, 2023, alleging that the woman was repeatedly threatening to take her own life. He further stated that she visited his residence, hurled abuses, and even consumed rat poison.
In addition, Khawse lodged a complaint with the municipal authorities, who subsequently issued a show-cause notice to the woman, directing her to rectify her behaviour.
The Supreme Court’s decision to quash the FIR highlights concerns about the misuse of legal processes as a tool for personal vendetta, reaffirming the need for careful scrutiny in cases where allegations arise under complex interpersonal circumstances.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/act-of-vengeance-why-supreme-court-quashed-rape-fir-against-govt-employee