The Supreme Court on Monday cautioned that a boy and a girl before marriage are “total strangers" and should exercise caution in indulging in pre-marital physical relationships. The remarks came while hearing the bail plea of a man accused of rape on the false promise of marriage.
A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan questioned the complainant about travelling to Dubai, where she alleged that the accused established a physical relationship with her.
“It’s consensual. We may be old-fashioned but a boy and girl before marriage are total strangers. They should be circumspect in indulging in physical relationships before marriage," the bench observed.
Justice Nagarathna added, “Whatever may be the thick and thin of their relationship, we fail to understand how they can be indulging in physical relationship before marriage. Maybe we are old- fashioned but you must be very careful, nobody should believe anybody before marriage."
The woman’s counsel said the two had met on a matrimonial website in 2022 and that the accused allegedly established physical relations with her on multiple occasions in Delhi and later in Dubai under the false promise of marriage.
She also claimed that he recorded intimate videos without her consent and threatened to circulate them. She later learnt that the man had married another woman in January 2024 in Punjab.
The bench noted that the matter appeared to involve a consensual relationship. Justice Nagarathna remarked, “She should not have gone before marriage if she was so strict about it. We will send them to mediation. These are not cases which are to be tried and convicted when there is consensual relationship."
The court directed the counsel for the accused to explore the possibility of a settlement and suggested paying some compensation to the woman. The matter has been posted for further hearing on Wednesday to record the views of both parties.
