In a dramatic turn of events, the Delhi High Court on Friday set aside an order of a trial court that had directed the registration of an FIR against Lt Gen Inderjit Singh (Retd), a decorated army officer, in a case involving allegations of sexual assault by his neighbour. Justice Amit Mahajan, while pronouncing the judgment on September 26, 2025, ruled that continuing the proceedings would amount to a "miscarriage of justice."
Background
The controversy began in April 2020 when a woman, a neighbour of the petitioner, filed a complaint alleging that Singh had assaulted her in a community park adjoining their residences. She accused him of trapping her, molesting her, and even attempting to rape her late in the night. According to her, she was only saved due to the intervention of her mother.
The Magistrate, noting the seriousness of the allegations, had ordered the Delhi Police to lodge an FIR under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including attempt to rape and outraging modesty.
But Singh, who is 72 years old and holds gallantry awards such as AVSM and VSM, approached the High Court seeking to quash the order, arguing that the charges were false and rooted in a long-standing neighbourhood dispute.
Court's Observations
Justice Mahajan heard both sides at length. The petitioner's counsel stressed that the woman had a history of filing bizarre allegations against her own father, brother, and even domestic workers of the colony. Several residents had also complained about her disruptive behaviour in the past.
The Court took note of a detailed police enquiry which had recorded statements from fifteen residents. None supported the complainant's version. Videos from the night of the alleged incident, the Court observed, showed the woman unhurt, with her clothes intact, and hurling abuses at the petitioner’s family.
"The absurdity of the allegations alone belies the case of Respondent No. 2," Justice Mahajan remarked, pointing out that it was improbable for a 70-year-old man to attempt such an act in a well-lit park in the presence of his wife, daughter, and neighbours.
Cautioning against misuse of sexual assault provisions, the Court recalled the Supreme Court's landmark guidelines in Bhajan Lal and reiterated that proceedings must be quashed if allegations are inherently improbable or filed with mala fide intent.
Decision
Concluding that the trial court had erred in mechanically ordering an FIR without weighing the inquiry material, Justice Mahajan ruled that the complaint was not supported by "a shadow of credible evidence."
He ordered:
"Impugned order as well as FIR, if any, registered at Police Station Vasant Kunj pursuant to the impugned order are quashed."
With that, the High Court not only cleared the retired General’s name but also underscored the judiciary's role in filtering out vexatious complaints before they turn into full-blown trials.
Case Title: LT GEN INDERJIT SINGH AVSM VSM (RETD) v. STATE OF NCT OF DELHI & ANR