New Delhi: A woman in a long-term live-in relationship cannot claim she was coerced into a physical relationship on the pretext of marriage to file rape charges against her partner, the Supreme Court has ruled.
The court said it could not be conclusively determined that sexual relations in such cases occurred solely due to a promise of marriage.
The Supreme Court quashed criminal proceedings against a bank official accused of rape by his live-in partner. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta rejected the plea of the woman, a lecturer, who alleged she maintained a sexual relationship with the accused for 16 years based on his promise to marry her.
The court noted that both individuals were well-educated and maintained a consensual relationship, visiting each other’s residences even when posted in different towns. The justices described the case as a love affair or a live-in relationship that had soured.
“It is hard to believe that the complainant kept on bending to the demands of the appellant for nearly 16 years without raising any protest that the appellant was exploiting her sexually under the pretext of a false promise of marriage,” the bench observed.
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The justices said the prolonged nature of the relationship suggested that no force or deceit was involved.
The court stated that even if a false promise was assumed, the duration of the relationship weakened the complainant’s claim that her consent was based on the belief that the accused would marry her. The ruling emphasized that such claims become implausible when a relationship continues for an extended period.
PNN & Agencies
