Supreme Court dismisses rape case against former army officer

The Supreme Court has dismissed a rape case against a former Army officer, concluding that the 16-year-long consensual relationship between him and the complainant lacked any element of force.

The court found no merit in the woman's claim that she was coerced into the relationship by a promise of marriage that was never fulfilled.

The bench, comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta, noted inconsistencies in the allegations made by the 39-year-old complainant, who is married but estranged from her husband.

The court observed that she had filed similar complaints against eight other men from 2014 to 2022, none of which led to convictions due to discrepancies and lack of cooperation on her part.

In this particular case, the court expressed skepticism over the claim that the complainant allowed the relationship to continue for 16 years under a false promise of marriage. The allegation that the officer drugged and raped the complainant three years into the relationship was also questioned, with the judges considering it illogical since there was already an established ongoing relationship.

The motivation behind the filing of the complaint appeared to be the former officer's impending marriage to another woman, leading the court to view the allegations as contradictory and not credible.

Further, the Supreme Court questioned the Delhi High Court's decision to not intervene when the accused sought quashing of the proceedings, indicating that earlier judicial action might have been warranted.