When dealing with cases pertaining to sex on false promise of marriage, courts have a two-fold duty to not just protect the women, but also to ensure that innocent men are not victimized by “vicious women folk,” the Court underscored.
In an order passed on June 21, Justice M Dhandapani set aside the conviction of one Rahul Gandhi (not to be confused with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi), charged under Sections 375 (rape), 376 (punishment for rape)s, 90 (consent given under fear or misconception) and 417 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The Court said that the victim’s testimony of Gandhi having sexually assaulted her on false promise of marriage did not hold true in the present case.
The Court went on to say that while cases of sexual assault against women in India were on the rise, it was the duty of the courts to “separate the grain from the chaff while analysing evidence.”
Source: Barandbench
