The Orissa High Court has quashed charges of rape against a man brought by a woman alleging that he had sexual relations with her for 9 years under the ‘false’ promise of marriage.
Justice Sanjeeb Kumar Panigrahi said in his verdict that just because the relationship did not result in marriage, the man cannot be called a rapist for having consensual sexual relations when both the man and woman are adults.
“The law does not extend its protection to every broken promise, nor does it impose criminality upon every failed relationship. That the relationship did not culminate in marriage may be a source of personal grievance, but the failure of love is not a crime, nor does the law transform disappointment into deception”, justice Panigrahi ordered.
The woman had brought charges of rape against the man in 2021, after he failed to appear on the scheduled date for the registration of their marriage. The woman said that he had ‘married’ her in a temple and was continuing a sexual relation with her for years.
This order is among a series of recent orders by different high courts where the charges of rape brought solely on the ground of ‘false promise of marriage’ have been dismissed, asserting that consensual relations between adults cannot be called a crime.
