Promise of Marriage Followed by Consensual Relationship Not Rape: Supreme Court Quashes POCSO Case

The Supreme Court of India, in a recent ruling dated August 4, 2025, reiterated that when two individuals engage in a consensual sexual relationship based on a genuine promise of marriage, it does not automatically amount to rape under Section 376, Indian Penal Code, unless it is proven that the promise was false from the beginning. The Court made this observation while quashing criminal charges, including those under the Protection…