A disturbing trend: Misuse of laws meant to protect women
The Tribune Editorial: Over 40 per cent of rape cases in Gurugram between 2020 and 2024 were cancelled after investigation.
HARYANA has for years battled an unenviable reputation for crimes against women. But the recent revelation that the state also tops the country in false cases related to such offences presents a grim paradox. According to police data, nearly 45 per cent of complaints of crimes against women in Haryana are found to be false, with Gurugram recording over 40 per cent of rape cases between 2020 and 2024 being cancelled after investigation. These numbers should alarm not only law-enforcing agencies but also civil society. When fabricated complaints enter the system, they do more than waste police time; they weaken the credibility of genuine survivors who already struggle to prove their case in a system stacked against them. The misuse of legal provisions for personal revenge, financial extortion or blackmail — as in the recent Gurugram case involving a lawyer-led gang — erodes public trust in the justice process.
