A tribal man in Ratlam of Madhya Pradesh has filed an indemnity suit demanding ₹10,000 crores from the state government and the police in damages for spending two years in jail in a fake rape case.
A resident of Ghoda Kheda area, Kantilal Singh alias Kantu was acquitted of rape charges by a court a few weeks back.
In his petition filed before the Ratlam district court, he has sought ₹10,006.02 crores for spending precious days of his life in jail for a crime he did not commit. The court will take up the matter on January 10.
Speaking to reporters, Kantilal said, “Despite committing no crime, I went through police harassment and spent two years of my life in jail, which ruined my family. Now that I am out, I find it hard to arrange food for my children.”
“Police framed me in a false case. I was harassed by the police for three years and then I spent two years in prison,” he said.
Explaining his decision to claim such a huge amount, Kantilal’s lawyer Vijay Singh said that the case turned the life of his client upside down and the compensation will help his family live a respectful life.
“Kantilal’s life has been ruined by the police and the government. He has the responsibility to look after his old-age mother, wife and three children. Since he was in jail, his children had to drop out of their school and survived starvation,” the lawyer said.
He further said, “This suit also aims to send out a message that women should not misuse their rights.”
In January 2018, a woman filed a complaint at the Bajna police station in Ratlam stating that Kantilal offered to drop her at her brother’s home but instead took her to the jungles of Ghoda Kheda where he raped her.
The complainant had also alleged that Kantilal later handed her over to another man named Bhairu, who promised to find her work in Indore. She also alleged that she was raped many times during her stay in Indore.