Archive · 19 Nov 2025
Kerala Court: Broken Marriage Promise Not Rape
A man in Kerala was accused of rape because he promised to marry a woman but later married someone else.
The Kerala High Court said this doesn't make their past consensual relationship rape.
The Court dismissed all charges against him because the woman wasn't tricked into the relationship from the start.
Kerala High Court ruled that a broken promise of marriage does not automatically make a past consensual sexual relationship rape
The Court dismissed charges against a man accused of rape, fraudulent marriage, and cohabitation by deceit
The relationship was consensual and the woman was not deceived from the beginning, the Court noted
The Court clarified that offenses under Sections 493 and 496 IPC require a formal complaint, which was not filed in this case
The Court quashed all criminal proceedings against the man
- Who
- A man accused of rape, fraudulent marriage, and cohabitation by deceit
- What
- Dismissal of charges by Kerala High Court
- When
- Tuesday
- Where
- Kerala High Court
- Why
- The Court ruled that the relationship was consensual and not induced by a fraudulent promise of marriage
Prosecution's Stance
Defense's Stance
Promise of Marriage
Prosecution's Stance
The prosecution argued that the accused promised to marry the woman but did not keep his promise, making their past sexual relationship a case of rape.
Defense's Stance
The defense maintained that the relationship was consensual and the woman was not deceived from the beginning.
- Accused's Sections
- 376 (rape), 493 (cohabitation by deceit), 496 (fraudulent marriage ceremony) of IPC
- Relationship Duration
- 2009 to 2017
- Accused's Action
- Married another woman in 2014, ended relationship in 2017