Rape Law

A Supreme Court order sending Tarun Tejpal to prison before his appeal is even heard looks harsh, but it exposes exactly how India's appellate criminal law is designed to work.

The Supreme Court rules that a broken promise of marriage in a consensual relationship does not constitute rape. Converting a "sour relationship" into a sexual offence trivialises the gravity of rape laws, as consent was not vitiated by fraud ab initio.

Supreme Court quashes rape charge, clarifying the role of consent in long-term relationships in a key judgment.