A Thane sessions court acquitted a man accused of rape and intimidation on a marriage promise. The ruling found the relationship consensual and the prosecution's evidence insufficient.
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Thane,Oct 15, 2026 15:04 IST
A court in Maharashtra's Thane district has acquitted a 35-year-old man accused of raping and intimidating a woman on the pretext of marriage, ruling that their relationship was consensual, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Additional Sessions Judge G T Pawar, in an order passed on Tuesday, cited a Supreme Court ruling that a consensual relationship sustained over a period of time does not amount to rape based on a false promise of marriage.
According to the prosecution, the complainant, a widow with a daughter, met the accused through Instagram. She alleged that he sexually assaulted her at a house in Mumbra in Thane district on November 12, 2022, after promising to marry her and take care of her child.
The prosecution alleged that the accused repeatedly exploited the woman, borrowed money and gold ornaments from her for his business, and later assaulted and threatened her when she pressed him for marriage. He also allegedly threatened to make her private photographs public. The defence argued that the relationship was consensual and that the accused had been falsely implicated.
After hearing both sides, the judge noted that the woman had testified that her first sexual encounter with the accused was forced. However, while giving her history to the medical officer, she had said it was consensual, PTI reported.
"If the first incident was forceful without her consent and against her will, she could have complained about it, but she had not complained about it. From perusal of evidence on record, it reveals that sexual intercourse between the accused and the victim was consensual," the court said.
The court also noted that the woman had previously been married and had a daughter, but had gone with the accused to an unknown place and stayed there overnight.
"The accused had sexual intercourse with her and thereafter he said that 'do not take tension, I will marry you'. It means that promise to marry was made after first intercourse, hence it cannot be said that it was a false promise of marriage," the court said.
Citing the Supreme Court order on consensual relationships continuing over a period of time, the sessions court held that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and acquitted the accused of all charges.
During the trial, the prosecution examined four witnesses: the complainant, a panch witness, a medical officer and the investigating officer. The court ultimately found the relationship consensual and ruled that the allegation of rape based on a false promise of marriage had not been proved.
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