BENGALURU: A seven-year relationship between two doctors from different colleges in Mangaluru ended without marriage over caste differences, leading to a criminal case against the man on allegations of sex on a false promise of marriage.The Karnataka high court has now quashed the proceedings, observing that a consensual relationship turning sour does not, by itself, amount to an offence.Justice M Nagaprasanna, in an Oct 16 order, said the case illustrated the abuse and misuse of Section 69 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which criminalises sexual intercourse through deceitful means. The court noted that consensual relationships spanning several years were increasingly being projected as criminal offences under the provision.The petitioner and the complainant, both medical students at different colleges in Mangaluru, were in a relationship from 2017 to 2024. According to the complaint, marriage did not materialise because of caste differences and the man’s decision to marry someone else.The woman approached Mangaluru women’s police station in 2025, following which a case was registered and a chargesheet filed against the doctor.Challenging the proceedings, the petitioner argued that their relationship was consensual and had never been based on a promise of marriage made through deceit. The complainant contested his claims.The high court pointed out that Section 69 of the BNS came into force on July 1, 2024, by which time the couple had already been in a relationship for several years. It also noted that the principal allegation was that the marriage did not take place because of caste discrimination.Referring to Supreme Court judgments in the Pramod Kumar Navaratna and Shailesh Bhai Govindbhai Makhwana cases, the court reiterated that a promise of marriage must have been made without any intention of fulfilling it from the outset for an offence to be established.A consensual relationship that subsequently turns sour does not, by itself, amount to a false promise of marriage, the court observed.The court concluded that even if the allegations were accepted as stated, they did not constitute an offence under the BNS or the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. It accordingly quashed the criminal proceedings against the doctor.
