The Bombay High Court held that a long-term intimate partnership marked by repeated cohabitation and child birth amounts to a relationship in the nature of marriage under the DV Act. It refused to quash the case against him.
The Supreme Court dismissed a rape case against a man who was accused after a 16-year-long relationship. The court ruled that the case stemmed from a failed love affair rather than criminal intent. Emphasizing the need to differentiate between consent and allegations of coercion, the bench found no grounds for prosecution. The verdict highlights concerns over misuse of legal provisions in personal disputes.