Sex on the pretext of marriage amounts to rape: Supreme Court

New Delhi, Apr 16: Sex on the pretext of marriage amounts to rape, the Supreme Court has ruled.

A Bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and M R Shah said that rape offends a woman's dignity and esteem. If for the fact the victim and her rapist have already settled in their lives and taking care of their families it could not be considered a ground to have the crime be null and void.

Such incidents were on the rise in modern society. It tantamounts to a serious blow to the supreme honour of a woman and offends both her esteem and dignity, the court also held.

The verdict was passed on a plea filed by a woman from Chhattisgarh, who had alleged that a doctor had raped her in 2013. She was familiar with the accused and had a love affair. She alleged that the accused had promised to marry her and their families were aware of this.

She alleged that the accused was engaged to another woman, while he had the affair. He went on to break the relationship and married the other woman, she further alleged. An FIR was lodged and the accused was convicted for rape. The High Court too upheld the conviction and sentenced him to 10 years in jail.

"Rape is the most morally and physically reprehensible crime in a society, an assault on the body, mind and privacy of the victim. While a murderer destroys the physical frame of the victim, a rapist degrades and defiles the soul of a helpless female. Rape reduces a woman to an animal, as it shakes the very core of her life," the Supreme Court observed.

The court however reduced the sentence to 7 years.