64-Year-Old Woman Sentenced to One Year in Jail for Filing False Land Case

An Ahmedabad Rural Court has sentenced a 64-year-old woman to one year's simple imprisonment for filing a false criminal complaint in connection with a land dispute.

The court convicted her under Section 211 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deals with instituting false criminal proceedings with the intent to cause injury.

Complaint Filed Over Vejalpur Land Dispute

The case arose from a private complaint filed in 2008 before a Metropolitan Magistrate's Court against seven persons.

The woman had alleged criminal breach of trust, cheating and extortion in relation to a land transaction in Vejalpur, claiming she had paid ₹1,62,03,132 through various vouchers.

Gujarat High Court Quashed Complaint

The accused in the original complaint later approached the Gujarat High Court, which quashed the proceedings in 2011.

The High Court observed that the complainant had suppressed material facts, including pleadings made in earlier civil suits in which she had stated that she had paid only ₹41,02,000 for the property.

The court further observed that the criminal complaint had been filed with the intention of causing mental and financial harassment to the opposite parties. It subsequently directed its Registry to initiate proceedings against her under Section 211 of the IPC, following which a formal complaint was registered.

Court Refuses Probation

During the trial, the prosecution argued that the woman had knowingly made false allegations without lawful grounds.

The defence submitted that the underlying civil dispute had since been settled and sought leniency on the grounds that the accused was a senior citizen with no previous criminal record.

The court, however, declined to grant probation and sentenced her to one year's simple imprisonment. It also imposed a fine of ₹5,000, with an additional six months' imprisonment in default of payment.