Separate resolutions have been issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) dismissing two complaints for violation of Republic Act 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children (VAWC) Act of 2004, lodged against Filipino-Indian businessman Rajiv Prem Chandiramani by his estranged wife.
In a 16-page resolution dated 15 January 2026, the DOJ–Provincial Prosecution Office of Bohol, through Officer-in-Charge Provincial Prosecutor Eric Ucat, held that allegations of physical harm, verbal abuse, threats, abandonment, or neglect made by complainant Vicki Narwani against Chandiramani were “fabricated.”
“Accordingly, the complaint is hereby dismissed for lack of credible, competent, and corroborated evidence to constitute a prima facie case amounting to reasonable certainty of conviction,” the order signed by Ucat stated.
The resolution read: “Allowing the complaint to proceed would give premium to fabrication over fact, conjecture over evidence, and narrative over proof—an outcome wholly inconsistent with the principles of due process and the orderly administration of justice.”
It added that while Republic Act No. 9262 remains a vital instrument for the protection of genuine victims, it was never intended to serve as a talisman to sustain legally untenable, manufactured, or unsupported claims, nor as a vehicle to elevate fabricated testimony above objective truth.
Narwani, in her complaint subscribed on 4 December 2025—more than seven years after the alleged offenses—claimed that Chandiramani hurled insults and invectives at her in the presence of their minor son while they were on vacation in Panglao, Bohol, on 10 May 2018.
She claimed Chandiramani became more violent when she tried to pacify him and threatened to inflict further harm on her while tightly grabbing her. Due to the commotion, resort employees allegedly called the authorities to intervene and question them about what happened.
The complainant said police officers advised her to file a formal complaint but that she did not do so at that time out of fear for her safety and that of her son.
Narwani further claimed that the next day the respondent abandoned them without any explanation or concern for their well-being.
She submitted as evidence the sworn statement of Police Staff Sergeant Rommel Roy Villareal, screenshots of text messages, and a psychological report, among others. Villareal claimed to have received a call on 11 May 2018 from an unidentified resort employee requesting police assistance and that he immediately responded to the scene.
However, the DOJ held that Villareal’s sworn statement was “pure hearsay,” noting the absence of a blotter entry, dispatch log, incident report, or other documentation about the alleged incident.
“A careful, dispassionate scrutiny of his affidavit, however, reveals grave, fundamental, and irreconcilable defects that altogether obliterate its credibility,” the resolution stated.
“Taken together, the affidavit is not evidence of genuine police response but a contrived document designed to create the illusion of corroboration,” it added.
The provincial prosecutor also described the psychological report submitted by the complainant as “evidentially bankrupt.”
“Though presented as an expert evaluation, it is wholly dependent on the complainant’s unilateral narration and utterly fails to identify—much less analyze—the alleged Panglao, Bohol incident as a factual cause of any psychological or emotional injury,” the resolution pointed out.
Meanwhile, the DOJ–Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Pampanga also dismissed a similar complaint for physical abuse under the VAWC law filed by Narwani against Chandiramani.
In a 10-page resolution dated 29 January 2026, Associate Prosecutor Mayda Lintag-Ursua held that the allegations of the complainant were “couched in general terms lacking details that support each allegation, making them less credible.”
The prosecutor also gave little weight to Narwani’s claim that she had been undergoing therapy because of the alleged abuses she experienced from her former husband, noting that the psychological report showed she had consultations only 11 years after the alleged Pampanga incident.
Narwani alleged that Chandiramani slapped and hit her face at a gas station while hurling invectives at her. She said she was seven months pregnant at that time.
Chandiramani denied all the accusations.
The prosecutor noted that the complainant failed to present evidence that would corroborate her allegations.
“Complainant should have subjected herself to a medical examination right after the incident, considering she was seven months pregnant at that time,” the resolution read.
The resolution added that the alleged incident could have greatly affected the health of the baby in her womb if she had indeed been subjected to physical violence.