Friendship with woman does not mean freedom to have physical relations: Bombay High Court

Mumbai: In a rape case, the Bombay High Court has made a big remark while delivering the verdict on the petition of the accused for pre-arrest bail. Justice Bharti Dangre said that if a girl is ready for friendship with someone, it does not mean at all that she is giving permission to have a physical relationship. The court rejected the petition of the accused.

An FIR was registered against the accused under IPC sections 376(2)(n) (repeated rape of the same woman) and 376(2)(h) (raping a woman knowing she is pregnant) . A 22-year-old woman had complained against the accused. In the year 2019, she went to her friend's house with her friend. It is alleged that at whose house he had gone, he forcibly had a relationship with the woman. When she protested, the accused said that he liked her and wanted to get married.

After this, he kept on making relationships again and again by promising marriage. The woman became pregnant. She asked the accused to marry her when she was 6 weeks pregnant but she refused the marriage, alleging infidelity. The High Court was told that despite repeated requests, the man was not ready for marriage. An FIR was registered for having repeated relationships between May 2019 and April 2022.

The High Court said that the woman's side was that after the promise of marriage, she had given permission to have physical relations. Justice Dangre said, "When a man works with a woman, they may be friends for some reason because there is no need to look at gender to make friendship." However, it does not give a license to a man to have this physical relationship.'

The High Court said, in any relationship, women are expected to be respected. There is hope in friendship as well. The Bombay High Court said that in this case, it is alleged that the first person had a relationship but after coming to know about the pregnancy, he refused to marry on the allegation of having an affair with the second person. Investigation is needed in this matter.