Justice Through 6th Sense: How Supreme Court Overturned Rape Conviction

The Supreme Court has set aside the rape conviction of a man, observing that the case arose from a consensual relationship which later turned sour and was given a criminal colour.

While hearing the man's bail plea, the court remarked that it had a "sixth sense" that the accused and the complainant could be reunited. A notice in the matter was issued in March.

The parties had become acquainted through social media in 2015. When their relationship did not culminate in marriage, the woman filed a complaint in 2021 under Sections 376 and 376(2)(n) of the Indian Penal Code. A trial court subsequently convicted the man and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. After the High Court declined bail, he approached the Supreme Court.

A Bench, comprising Justices V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma, held interactions in chambers with the man, the woman, and their parents to understand the nature of their relationship. Upon both parties expressing their willingness to marry-along with consent from their families-the court granted interim bail to the man for the purpose of marriage. The couple married in July.

When the matter came up again, the court was informed that the couple was leading a happy married life. In its final judgment delivered this month, the Supreme Court quashed the complaint, conviction, and sentence.

The court noted that the postponement of the marriage had created insecurity in the woman's mind, which led to the filing of the criminal case. "We have exercised our powers under Article 142 of the Constitution. We feel that a consensual relationship turned into a crime due to a misunderstanding," the judgment said.

The Supreme Court also ordered the reinstatement of the man's job at a government hospital and directed payment of his salary for the period of suspension. The Chief Medical Officer of Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district was instructed to withdraw the suspension order and release the pending salary.