24/07/2025
Misuse of Power: She is Shivangi Goel, IPS.
When she cleared the UPSC in 2022, media ran emotional stories about her success despite facing domestic violence from her in-laws.
Today, the SC asked her to apologise to her husband and in-laws for hardship and trauma caused due to those false cases.
She married Sahib Bansal in 2015; a year later, they had a daughter. In 2018, they separated and she filed 15 cases, including domestic violence, cruelty, attempt to murder, unnatural offences, and r**e against her in-laws. Her husband spent 109 days in jail, and father-in-law 103 days, because of these allegations.
In 2021โ22, after clearing the UPSC, she publicly spoke about the alleged abuse and dowry harassment, describing its impact on her and her daughter. Media outlets widely covered her story and she got public support and sympathy and she became a poster girl for feminism.
However, investigations and court proceedings found no evidence to support her claims. Yesterday, while quashing all the criminal and civil cases she had filed, the SC directed her to publish an apology in leading national newspapers and on her social media.
But how can a mere apology undo jail term and years of public humiliation, and the mental, social, and financial torment inflicted? Also, fake cases donโt just destroy innocent men and families; they also erode public sympathy and trust meant for real victims.