Bengaluru sees a spike in cases of rape by false promise of marriage

BENGALURU: The city has been seeing an increase in the number of cases of rape on false promises of marriage. This year, 14 cases have been registered in the first two months alone. A senior crime branch officer said that under the section ‘By promising love/marriage’ is a means for individuals to cheat their partner. “The partner would promise that he would marry the woman in the near future and engage in a physical relationship which is not consensual. It is a cheating case which comes under rape,” he explains.

With an average of seven cases per month, counsellors at the Vanitha Sahayavani helpline feel that such cases also need to be inspected carefully to understand the genuineness of the complaint. “In most of the cases, the relationship would be consensual and is also difficult to deem it as rape though there is a provision under the law,” says Rani Shetty, in-charge of the helpline.

The Supreme Court has held that every breach of promise to marry cannot be a false promise, making a man culpable under the rape charge if he has sexual relations with a woman. Under the law, a man can be convicted of rape if it is established that he had sexual intercourse with a woman on the pretext of a false promise of marriage. Clarifying the legal position in this regard, the apex court held that in every case, a man cannot be held guilty when he fails to marry a woman despite a promise.

Recently, a married woman complained that her paramour raped her after promising to marry her. After the complaint, the man and his parents spent time in jail. In another case, the Banaswadi police in Bengaluru arrested a dance teacher from the city for allegedly raping a 23-year-old student, after promising to marry her.