New Delhi: A Delhi court acquitted a man accused of entering into a sexual relationship with a woman on the false promise of marrying her, saying pre-marital sex is immoral and against the tenets of every religion.
In his ruling, additional sessions judge Virender Bhat also said every act of sexual intercourse between two adults on the promise of marriage did not become rape.
"When a grown up, educated and office-going woman subjects herself to sexual intercourse with a friend or colleague on the latter's promise that he would marry her, she does so at her own peril. She must be taken to understand the consequences of her act and must know that there is no guarantee that the boy would fulfil his promise.
"He may or may not do so. She must understand that she is engaging in an act which not only is immoral but also against the tenets of every religion. No religion in the world allows pre-marital sex," the court said, while acquitting an employee with a multinational company of the charges of rape.
According to the Indian Penal Code (IPC), sexual intercourse with a woman after obtaining her consent on the false promise of marriage amounts to rape.
However, in this case the judge found no evidence to prove the accused had sex with the alleged victim after promising her marriage.
E-mails exchanged between the two were placed before the court as defence evidence. The mails, he added, showed it was the woman who insisted upon having sexual intercourse with the accused despite no assurance from him on marriage.
The 29-year-old man, a resident of Punjab, was arrested by police after a month, when the woman, doing a secretarial and administrative job at a private company here, lodged a complaint of rape against him in May 2011.
In her complaint, the woman, who is an orphan, had alleged that the man, whom she had met through a chat website in July 2006, used to have physical relations with her on several occasions by promising to marry her.
