Supreme Court News: In a major decision, the Supreme Court has made clear that consensual sexual relations based on a false promise of marriage cannot be considered rape unless it is proven that the relationship was based solely on the promise of marriage.
long term sexual relationship
The Court said that if a woman has a physical relationship with a man for a long time, it cannot be said that it is only because of the promise of marriage. The court also said that the woman may have other reasons for having a physical relationship, such as personal choice or having a relationship without any formal marriage.
Relationship only on the promise of marriage.
A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh said, “If a man is accused of having sexual relations on the false promise of marriage, it must be shown that the relationship was based solely on the promise of marriage.”
based on marriage promise
The court also said that if the woman deliberately maintained physical relations for a long period of time, it cannot be said to be based solely on the promise of marriage.
Rape by false promise of marriage
This ruling made it clear that a charge of rape based on a false promise of marriage can only be made if it is proven that the physical relationship was due solely to that promise.