Case Law Analysis
|Madhya Pradesh High Court
Section 69 BNS 2023 | False Promise of Marriage Must Be Proven at Inception of Relationship to Constitute Rape: MP HC Grants Anticipatory Bail
The Madhya Pradesh High Court ruled that long-term cohabitation and consensual relations preceding pregnancy do not automatically establish rape under Section 69 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023. The court held that the false promise of marriage must be proven at the inception of the relationship, not retrospectively, to vitiate consent. This judgment reinforces the evidentiary burden in cases involving live-in relationships and sexual autonomy.