Case 1: A minor girl from Malad recently alleged that a gym instructor had raped her. But later, cops found no evidence to suggest that the youth had sexually abused the girl. The case is under investigation

Case 2: A bar dancer in Nerul accuses a policeman of raping her. Police say evidence suggests that the woman had a relationship with the accused and sex was probably consensual

Case 3: An executive in a Delhi PR company spent two months in Tihar jail for rape. Later, investigations established that he was having an affair with the woman for two years and she wanted him to marry her. When he refused, she filed rape charges which she later withdrew as ‘false’

Case 4: During the 2004 World Social Forum, a South African judge of Indian origin, Sirajuddin Desai, was accused of rape by a fellow delegate from the same country. The sessions court later let him off after she withdrew her complaint and circumstantial evidence hinted at consensual sex

Case 5: In Bhayandar last year, a 17-year-old girl falsely accused her father of rape

In common parlance, it is called a false complaint. Legal eagles call it malicious prosecution.

While rape laws in the country are justifiably stringent, recently a few cases have indicated that the law can be misused, and has end up damaging lives in profound ways. So, if the girl is found to have filed a false complaint, what is the remedy available to the accused, who, ironically, then becomes the victim?