Supreme Court Flags Surge in Rape Cases Citing False Promise of Marriage.

​The Supreme Court has expressed concern over the increasing number of rape cases filed on the grounds of false promises of marriage. In a recent observation, the Court noted that evolving moral values are influencing such situations and emphasized the importance of evaluating these cases impartially, rather than solely from the complainant’s perspective.

This observation aligns with the Court’s previous rulings. For instance, in November 2024, the Supreme Court highlighted a “worrying trend” of consensual relationships turning sour and subsequently being criminalized as rape based on alleged false promises of marriage. The Court stated that prolonged physical relationships without protest or insistence on marriage by the female partner indicate consent, rather than a relationship founded on a false promise of marriage.

Similarly, in March 2025, the Court quashed an FIR against a man accused of rape under a false promise of marriage after a 16-year consensual relationship. The Court ruled that such long-term consensual relationships cannot be retrospectively converted into cases of sexual assault merely because marriage did not occur. ​

These observations underscore the necessity for courts to carefully assess the context and dynamics of each relationship when adjudicating cases involving allegations of rape based on false promises of marriage. The Supreme Court’s stance aims to prevent the misuse of legal provisions and ensure that consensual relationships are not unjustly criminalized.​

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