Jharkhand High Court Allows Rape Trial After Man Breaks Promise of Marriage
The Jharkhand High Court has refused to drop rape charges against a man accused of repeatedly assaulting a woman under the false promise of marriage. The court noted that the man maintained a physical relationship with the woman for nearly six years, explicitly promised to marry her, but later married someone else.
Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava, in a June 29 order, observed that the allegations prima facie establish that the promise of marriage was false from the beginning. The court was hearing a criminal revision petition filed by the accused challenging an October 2023 order of a Ranchi trial court that rejected his plea for discharge.
According to the prosecution, the survivor, a tribal unmarried woman, met the accused in August 2014 while both worked as labourers in an apartment. A friendship and love affair developed, and the accused allegedly promised to marry her, vowing he could not live without her. Under this pretext, he established a physical relationship with her that continued until August 2020.
The accused then left, saying he would return from his native place, but instead married another woman. The victim lodged a complaint at the Mahila Police Station on March 17, 2020. At the station, the accused reportedly admitted to the relationship and agreed to marry her. The case was initially dropped after conciliation, but the accused later fled and stopped communicating.
The victim also alleged that she became pregnant during their relationship and that the accused administered medicine to terminate the pregnancy against her will. A complaint led to an FIR for rape, miscarriage, and voluntarily causing hurt. The trial court denied discharge, and the High Court upheld that decision.
The High Court found that the accused's defence—that he was willing to marry but faced family opposition—can only be tested during trial after evidence. At the discharge stage, the court is not required to scrutinise the defence version meticulously. Dismissing the revision plea, the court allowed the trial to proceed.
