Allahabad High Court Upholds Acquittal in Rape Case on Marriage Pretext

The Allahabad High Court acquitted a man accused of raping a woman under the pretext of marriage. The court emphasized that while the law on sexual offences is women-centric, it doesn't always mean the male partner is wrong. The complainant could not meet the burden of proof, leading to the upheld acquittal.

The Allahabad High Court has acquitted a man accused of rape under the pretext of marriage, emphasizing that the law on sexual offences, while rightly women-centric, does not automatically implicate the male partner in every case.

In delivering the judgment, a division bench comprising Justices Rahul Chaturvedi and Nand Prabha Shukla stated that the burden of proof in such cases lies on both the complainant and the accused. The court underlined that guilt is not a foregone conclusion based on gender alone.

The court's decision comes following an appeal by the complainant against an earlier judgment that acquitted the accused. The complainant had alleged that the accused engaged in a sexual relationship with her under the promise of marriage, which was later retracted. However, inconsistencies in the complainant's claims, such as hiding her marital status, led the court to uphold the acquittal.

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