Supreme Court Slams Misuse Of Women-Centric Laws, Quashes False Rape Case After Broken Engagement

The Supreme Court upheld the Karnataka High Court’s decision to dismiss a rape and cheating case against a man after his engagement was called off. The court ruled that a broken engagement does not amount to a false promise of marriage.

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Supreme Court Slams Misuse of Women-Centric Laws, Quashes False Rape Case After Broken Engagement

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India supported the decision of the Karnataka High Court to cancel a case of rape, cheating, and criminal intimidation against a man and his family. These charges were filed by a woman after their engagement was called off.

The Supreme Court stated that it would not interfere with the High Court’s decision, as it was properly made.

The special leave petition filed by the woman was dismissed by a bench consisting of Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice K.V. Viswanathan.

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The woman, who belongs to the Kundapura area in Udupi district, had challenged the June 7, 2024, decision of the Karnataka High Court. This decision had quashed the case against the man and his family, which was initially filed in a lower court in Kundapura. The man involved in this case is employed with a shipping company in the USA. He came in contact with the woman through a matrimonial website.

On October 8, 2023, their engagement was held, and later, on January 11, the engagement was called off due to some disagreements between the two families. This led to differences cropping up, and the wedding was canceled.

The woman then filed a case in March 2023 against the man and his family. She accused them of cheating. She also alleged that the man had raped her on the night of the engagement ceremony, after all the rituals were completed.

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She claimed that the rape happened on the false promise of marriage. However, the petitioners, who were the man and his family, countered these claims and said that the charge of rape was false because everyone was present at the venue after the engagement ceremony.

The petitioners claimed:

“Charge of rape against the man was highly improbable as everyone was present in the venue after the engagement ceremony. According to them, for about seven months, the complainant was demanding money from her fiancé, and the same created doubts in their mind about the woman’s family. Hence, the marriage was called off.”

The High Court had observed that just because an engagement is broken at a later stage, it cannot automatically mean that there was a false promise of marriage or cheating. It also noted that the accusations of rape and cheating were not backed by strong evidence.

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The High Court further mentioned that there was no control over the woman’s ability to take independent decisions and stated that she had made her own choices.

“The observations of the SC were suitable to the case at hand. The first petitioner also did not perform the alleged act on a false promise of marriage; it is being performed on the date of the betrothal ceremony. Therefore, the false promise of marriage, if at all, at best, could be a subsequent promise of marriage, which would not become an offence under Section 376(2)(n) of the IPC,”

-the judge added.

The High Court also commented that the man and his family could not be blamed for the marriage not happening, and there was no valid reason to continue with the legal proceedings.