A court in Feni on Monday sentenced a couple to three years and six months in prison for filing a false rape case and making fabricated harassment allegations.

The convicts are Shahidullah and his wife Najma Akhter. The court also fined them Tk 10,000 each. In default, they will have to serve an additional one month in jail.

Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge A N M Morshed Khan handed down the verdict.

Plaintiff’s lawyer PP Shahabuddin Ahmed said Najma Akhter filed a rape case against Abdur Rahman on May 23, 2022, claiming that she became pregnant as a result of the alleged rape.

Following a court order, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) conducted an inquiry, recorded testimonies of seven witnesses and submitted its report, finding the allegations to be false.

Najma Akhter later filed an objection to the report, prompting the tribunal to order a reinvestigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The CID also found no truth in the allegations.

After another objection was filed, the court ordered a DNA test. The DNA report found no match between the newborn and the accused Abdur Rahman. Instead, the child’s DNA matched that of Najma Akhter’s husband, Shahidullah.

Based on the scientific evidence, the tribunal discharged Abdur Rahman from Women and Children Case No. Complaint-145/22 and ordered legal action against the complainants for filing a false case.

Subsequently, Abdur Rahman filed a case with the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal on November 27, 2024.

During the trial, testimonies of two prosecution witnesses and five defence witnesses were recorded.