The Supreme Court quashed a rape FIR, affirming a man’s right to say ‘no’ over a woman’s aggressive sexual behaviour, stressing male consent and protection against false allegations.
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NEW DELHI: In an important ruling, the Supreme Court quashed two criminal cases against Batlanki Keshav Kumar Anurag, finding the rape allegations by the complainant to be “fabricated, malicious”, and driven by “vindictive and manipulative tendencies”.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta criticized the Telangana High Court for refusing to quash the FIRs and noted that continuing the proceedings would amount to a “travesty of justice.” The woman had previously filed a similar complaint against another man in 2019.
The court found inconsistencies between the two FIRs filed in 2021 and 2022, with the latter introducing new allegations that predated the earlier complaint, raising doubts about the woman’s credibility. Chat records presented by the accused showed the complainant admitting to manipulative behavior and targeting men for personal gain.
The court held that withdrawing from a marriage proposal does not amount to rape under Section 376(2)(n) IPC, and no offence under the SC/ST Act was made out. The ruling underscores the need to recognize male agency and prevent misuse of legal provisions.
The Supreme Court, after a careful examination of the facts and records, observed that the allegations made by the complainant were inherently contradictory, improbable, and indicative of malicious intent.
The Court noted that the complainant had earlier lodged a similar complaint in 2019 against another man, which demonstrated a pattern of filing false and manipulative accusations. The inconsistency between the two FIRs, one alleging a single incident and the other, filed later, adding multiple earlier incidents, further weakened her credibility.
The Court found that the chat transcripts submitted by the appellant, wherein the complainant admitted to being manipulative and targeting men with the intent to exploit, reflected a vindictive and deceitful behavioural pattern.
“These chats depict the stark reality about the behavioural pattern of the de-facto complainant who appears to be having manipulative and vindictive tendency.”
It also found no prima facie evidence of coercion, cheating, or sexual relations under a false promise of marriage. Importantly, the Court clarified that even if the appellant had withdrawn from the proposed marriage, it did not amount to rape under Section 376(2)(n) IPC, nor did the facts justify invocation of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
“The accused appellant was justified in panicking and backing out from the proposed marriage.”
Concluding that continuation of the proceedings would be a gross abuse of the court’s process and a travesty of justice, the Court quashed both FIRs, Crime No. 751 of 2021 and Crime No. 103 of 2022, and all proceedings arising from them.
Case Title: Batlanki Keshav Kesava Kumar Anurag vs State of Telangana Anr
CRIMINAL APPEAL NO(S). 2879 OF 2025
READ JUDGMENT HERE
