An 82-year-old man in Kerala was falsely dragged into a rape case for over 12 years due to misuse of police power linked to a financial dispute. After his acquittal, the Police Complaints Authority found the investigation to be illegal and malicious. Criminal action has now been ordered against the responsible officers for wrongful prosecution.
A shocking legal order from Kerala has revealed how an innocent man from Thrissur was trapped in a false rape case for over 12 years due to misuse of police power and blind acceptance of a motivated allegation. Decided by the State Police Complaints Authority on 8 January 2026.
The case did not begin with any immediate complaint of sexual assault but arose from a long-running financial dispute involving dishonoured cheques. Years after the dispute, a rape allegation suddenly surfaced, leading to his arrest, repeated charge-sheets, prolonged trial, and complete social and personal ruin, even though the case never met the basic legal requirements to be tried as rape.
The petitioner, M.N. Janardhanan Nambiar, became involved in a money dispute in 2006 when a woman named Reetha borrowed money through one of his friends. When her cheques bounced, legal cheque cases were filed. The petitioner appeared only as a witness in those cases.
Instead of settling the financial issue legally, Reetha’s associates allegedly tried to pressure the petitioner to withdraw the cheque cases by impersonating Human Rights Commission members. When the petitioner complained to the police and the Human Rights Commission, cases were registered against those impersonators.
Later, police officers allegedly threatened the petitioner that if he did not withdraw the cheque cases, he would be falsely implicated in a rape case. When the petitioner used the RTI Act, the police themselves confirmed that no rape complaint existed at that time.
For several years, Reetha had multiple opportunities to complain to police and authorities but never alleged rape. Only in 2011, nearly six years after the alleged incident, a rape complaint was suddenly filed against the petitioner. An FIR was registered and he was charged under Section 376 IPC.
Multiple investigations were conducted by different officers. Each time, charge sheets were filed without properly verifying whether the basic legal ingredients of rape were even present in the statement. The case dragged on for years, causing severe mental stress, loss of reputation, and financial hardship to the petitioner.
In 2023, the trial court finally acquitted the petitioner. The judgment clearly recorded that the allegation did not legally amount to rape and that the case was motivated by personal hostility arising from financial disputes. The court observed:
“Evidence of DWI (petitioner herein) coupled with unexplained delay in lodging FIR and the facts and circumstances show that out of enmity due to dispute in financial transactions and the legal action taken at the instance of the accused (petitioner herein) he was Falsely implicated in a rape case”
After the acquittal, the petitioner approached the State Police Complaints Authority seeking action against the officers who conducted careless and malicious investigations.
The Authority examined the full record, including FIRs, investigation reports, court judgments, and departmental actions. It found that three officers had failed to conduct fair investigation and knowingly filed charge sheets even when the complaint itself did not disclose the essential elements of rape.
The Authority concluded that these officers acted either maliciously or corruptly and wrongly sent an innocent man for trial. It held that their conduct attracts criminal liability under Sections 219 and 220 of the Indian Penal Code for wrongful acts by public servants.
As a result, the Authority directed the Inspector General of Police, Thrissur Range, to immediately register criminal cases against the three officers and report compliance within one month.
The Authority also clarified that allegations against some other officers could not be proved due to lack of evidence or because earlier departmental inquiries had already cleared them.
This case exposes a grave systemic failure in which an innocent citizen lost more than a decade of his life fighting a fabricated criminal prosecution, solely because investigating authorities failed to apply even the most basic legal scrutiny. A delayed and inconsistent allegation was accepted at face value, and the safeguards meant to protect citizens from wrongful prosecution were ignored, allowing the criminal process itself to become a tool of injustice.
The consequences of such failure are severe and irreversible. False prosecution does not end with acquittal. It destroys families, careers, physical and mental health, and social standing. Years spent under the shadow of a serious criminal charge inflict damage that no court order can fully undo. When investigative agencies act without diligence, neutrality, or accountability, the cost is borne entirely by the innocent.
This order delivers a clear and necessary message: law enforcement officers are not above the law. Abuse of authority, malicious investigation, and wrongful prosecution will invite personal legal consequences. Accountability is not optional but essential to preserving the rule of law, public trust in institutions, and the fundamental rights of citizens.
Explanatory Table – Laws And Sections Involved
| Law / Section | Purpose | How Applied In This Case |
| IPC Section 376 | Punishment for rape. Requires proof of penetration. | Police charged the man for rape without legal proof. Court later acquitted him. |
| IPC Section 375 (Unamended) | Defines what legally qualifies as rape. | Court found that the allegation did not meet legal requirements of rape. |
| IPC Section 219 | Public servant knowingly making a false report. | Officers held liable for filing false charge-sheets. |
| IPC Section 220 | Public servant wrongly sending a person to trial. | Officers knowingly committed an innocent man to trial. |
| Right to Information Act | Citizens can seek official records. | RTI confirmed no rape complaint existed earlier. |
| Human Rights Commission | Examines rights violations and misconduct. | Earlier proceedings showed no rape allegation. |
| FIR & Investigation Law | FIR starts a case; investigation must be fair. | FIR was delayed and investigation was careless. |
Case Details
- Case Title: Shri M.N. Janardhanan Nambiar vs Dr. B. Sandhya IPS & Ors.
- Case Number: O.P. No. 349/2015
- Authority / Court: State Police Complaints Authority, Thiruvananthapuram
- Bench / Member: Sri. P.K. Aravintha Babu, Member
- Date of Order: 8 January 2026
- Petitioner: Shri M.N. Janardhanan Nambiar
- Respondents: Senior police officers including former IGP, Circle Inspectors and ACPs
- Originating FIR: Crime No. 649/2011, Guruvayoor Police Station, registered under Section 376 IPC
- Trial Case: SC No. 296/2013 before the Assistant Sessions Court, ThrissurTrial Outcome: The accused was acquitted on 30 November 2023
Key Takeaways
- An innocent man lost over a decade of his life due to a false rape allegation that was accepted without basic legal verification.
- Delay and contradictions in complaints are ignored when the accused is a man, turning accusation into assumed guilt.
- Police misuse of power can destroy a man’s reputation, career, family, and mental health beyond repair.
- Acquittal comes late, but the damage caused by false prosecution is permanent and irreversible.
- Accountability of investigators is essential to protect men from weaponised criminal laws and blind enforcement.
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