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Rape or honey-trap? The curious case of Gujarat BJP MP and Delhi lawyer

DailyBiteMay 1, 2017 | 16:16 IST

This is a case that’s going to test our wits to the limits and keep the tabloids occupied for a good length of time. But it’s also going to be another example of how sleaze and neck-deep in murk are the corridors of power and our political echelons.

We simply do not know whom to believe in the curious case involving a Delhi woman lawyer and a BJP MP in Lok Sabha from Valsad, Gujarat. While the parliamentarian says he has been “honey-trapped” and filmed in objectionable positions by a gang whose ring-leader is the Delhi woman lawyer, who has in turn demanded an “extortion sum” of Rs 5 crore, the other side has alleged rape.

KC Patel, the BJP MP in question, has complained to the Delhi Police that he was “honey-trapped, drugged, filmed and asked to pay up Rs 5 crore” by the woman lawyer. Patel has filed an FIR with Delhi Police, and has said that the woman’s allegations of rape are baseless. “These are all false allegations, I have full faith in law; will cooperate in the investigation”, Patel told the news agency ANI.

However, it’s interesting to note that the Delhi lawyer had tried approaching the cops on Thursday last alleging rape by KC Patel. After the police failed to act on her complaint, she approached the court, which directed Delhi Police to file a case and also produce reasons for not filing an FIR on her complaint.

According to this India Today report dated April 27, the woman lawyer has alleged in her complaint that she was raped by the BJP MP at his “official residence on March 3, 2017 when she invited for dinner there”. She has even said that she was raped by the same MP on several other occasions and he had threatened her with dire consequences, even death, in case she talked about it.

What "preliminary probe" revealed

In his turn, BJP MP KC Patel said that the woman in question offered him a spiked drink at her Ghaziabad residence and later filmed obscene photos/videos of him. She even threatened to make the photos/videos go viral if the extortion money wasn’t paid.

A special investigation team has now said that the woman is allegedly involved in an “active blackmailing racket” and has many associates. She’s known to befriend parliamentarians, seeking out their help and filming them in objectionable positions after drugging them.

The police has registered an FIR under section 384 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code.

Photo: Indiatoday.in

Misuse of rape law, or blame-game by MP?

While we can reach any conclusion only when the investigations are over and the courts pronounce their verdict, this rape-or-honey trap case could be a glaring instance of well connected women misusing India’s firmed up anti-rape law to make petty and criminal profits. 

It would be wise on our part to reserve any judgement on the issue until the probe is completed and the judicial hearing into the matter has reached its conclusion. But either way, we can draw the following lessons from this yet unresolved and frankly abhorrent incident.

Things to remember

1) Men in positions of power routinely exploit women sexually and fall back on lame excuses to escape the blame. We need to keep that in mind when discussing this strange case. In the eyes of law, a parliamentarian is no different from an ordinary citizen, and therefore must not deserve any special benefit of doubt.

2) Abuse of anti-rape law does happen, just like cases of false dowry charges to implicate out-of-favour husbands/in-laws have been recorded. But these are too few and far in between to say the laws themselves are problematic. On the contrary. What we need is impartial investigation by the police and weighing in on the findings by the court to arrive at any conclusion whatsoever.

3) Since there are two charges and counter-charges in this case, it’s important to remember that both parties are innocent until proven guilty in the court of law. The media is well advised to steer clear of any smear campaigns against any of the parties, even though one is clearly way above in power and influence compared to the other.

4) Though this is exactly what TRP-hungry sensationalism waits for with bated breath, it is important that no moral verdict is pronounced before the police and the court do their jobs impartially. This is a test case to examine just how mature we are as a society to not jump into predetermined conclusions, depending on our political affiliations, and wait for a proper examination of what really transpired to take place.

Also read - How SC exposed the State in DGP Senkumar's fight against Kerala government

Last updated: May 01, 2017 | 17:28
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