SC: No Rape Charge in Long-Term Live-In Relationships

New Delhi, India: The Supreme Court of India has ruled that a woman cannot claim rape if she was in a long-term live-in relationship, emphasizing that a prolonged relationship weakens claims of deceit under the pretext of marriage.

The ruling came in a case where a bank manager was accused of rape by his live-in partner of 16 years, a lecturer, who alleged that he engaged in a physical relationship with her under a false promise of marriage. A Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta quashed the criminal proceedings, stating that both parties were well-educated and engaged in a consensual relationship.

The court observed that a 16-year-long live-in relationship made it hard to believe that the woman was unaware of any deceit and continued without protest. It stated, “The prolonged period of 16 years during which the sexual relations continued unabatedly between the parties is sufficient to conclude that there was never an element of force or deceit in the relationship.”

The judgment sets a precedent by highlighting that in prolonged live-in relationships, claims of sexual relations based solely on a promise of marriage lose credibility.