Parmod KumarNew Delhi, April 27 -- The Supreme Court on Monday questioned whether the breakdown of a long-term live-in relationship, where the couple had lived together for 15 years and had a child, can attract charges of rape after the man walks out of the relationship.
A Bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan was hearing a plea by a woman who accused a man of sexual assault on the promise of marriage after a 15-year live-in relationship. The Court noted that the two had cohabited for a long period and had a child, and expressed doubt over whether such circumstances would attract criminal liability.
During the hearing, the Bench questioned whether the essential ingredients of the offence were made out, observing that a consens...