Lucknow: A Lucknow court has sentenced Vikas Kumar to five years of imprisonment after finding him guilty of filing a false case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in a land-related dispute. Special Judge (SC/ST Act) Vivekananda Sharan Tripathi delivered the verdict, also imposing a fine of ₹10,000 on the convict.
The court further issued strict directions to the Police Commissioner and the District Magistrate to recover any relief or compensation that Vikas may have received from the state government under the provisions of the Act. In a strongly worded observation, the court clarified that a case does not become a “crime” merely upon the filing of an FIR or chargesheet; it attains that status only after the police complete investigation and submit a chargesheet establishing the offence.
The court expressed concern over the increasing trend of filing false cases under the SC/ST Act, particularly due to the immediate disbursement of relief funds upon FIR registration. It directed the District Magistrate to ensure that financial compensation to alleged victims should be granted only after the chargesheet is filed.
Till then, the victim should only receive essential support, such as food, clothing, shelter, transportation, medical assistance, maintenance, and security. If the investigating officer submits a final report, the victim must not receive further benefits unless the court examines the matter and issues summons.
According to the FIR lodged by Vikas at PGI Police Station on June 29, 2019, he claimed that his father owned about three bighas of ancestral land. He alleged that On June 23, 2019, Omshankar Yadav and his associates attempted to forcibly occupy the land, abused him using casteist slurs, and issued threats to kill him.
However, during the investigation, CO Cantt. Binu Singh discovered that the land had long been auctioned due to non-payment of a loan taken by Vikas. The buyer, Kamlesh, was later murdered in 2018, and encroachment followed. To reclaim the land, Kamlesh’s sister Neetu employed her uncle Omshankar. When Omshankar was unable to pursue the matter effectively, Vikas allegedly filed a fabricated case against him to regain possession.
Based on the evidence, the court concluded that the allegations were intentionally false, leading to Vikas’s conviction.
