The Supreme Court of India questioned a woman applicant about her physical relationship with a man who had allegedly deceived her into believing he would marry her.
During a hearing related to rape allegations against a man who allegedly misled a woman with promises of marriage, the Supreme Court of India posed direct and sharp questions to the female applicant. Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjawal Bhuiyan, presiding over the bail plea of the accused, emphasized that before marriage, a man and woman are strangers to each other. Justice Nagarathna pointed out the perplexity of engaging in physical relations without adequate knowledge and trust between individuals who have only just met.
The court questioned the woman about how she was able to travel with a stranger to places like Delhi and Dubai after their introduction on a matrimonial site in 2022. The judges inferred that the physical relationship between the applicant and the accused seemed to have been consensual. The woman argued that she was misled by the man’s promise of marriage, which is why she traveled with him. However, it was later revealed that the accused was already married in Punjab and had entered into another marriage two years prior.
The Supreme Court's interrogation raised significant implications regarding the understanding of consent and the complexities surrounding pre-marital relationships in contemporary society. This case has broader repercussions on how similar cases may be perceived and judged in the future, especially regarding the responsibility of partners in pre-marital contexts.
