The Delhi High Court has strongly criticized the notion that a woman must anticipate marriage-related issues if she is older than her partner, calling it patriarchal and misogynistic. The court dismissed a petition seeking to quash an FIR against a man accused of raping a woman on the false promise of marriage, emphasizing that such an argument lacked legal merit.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma ruled that a woman’s decision to enter a relationship based on specific promises made by a man could not be trivialized or dismissed as an obsession when he later failed to honor his commitment. The court found the argument legally untenable and devoid of merit.
The case involved allegations that the man had forced the woman into physical relations, including unnatural sex, on the pretext of marriage between 2018 and 2021. The woman, who had befriended the man as a colleague, claimed that he had assured her of a future together and even asked her to reject other marriage proposals. She also alleged that she had financially supported him on multiple occasions, but his behavior changed over time, and he eventually started avoiding her.
When the man refused to marry her or return the money she had lent him, the woman filed a police complaint in May 2021. The man’s counsel argued that their relationship had been consensual and that the woman was aware of the potential obstacles to their marriage, including financial constraints and family opposition due to their age difference.
However, the court rejected this line of reasoning, stating that placing an additional burden on a woman to foresee marriage-related difficulties solely based on age was legally flawed. It noted that such an argument unfairly absolved the man of accountability for his assurances and actions.
Considering the gravity of the allegations and the evidence on record, the Delhi High Court ruled that there was no justification for quashing the FIR at this stage and dismissed the man’s petition. The court’s decision underscores the importance of holding individuals accountable for their commitments in relationships and challenges outdated societal notions that place undue responsibility on women.
